la 


WILD   NOKTHERN   SCENES. 


WILD  NORTHERN  SCENES; 


OB 


SPORTING   ADVENTURES 


THE    RIFLE    AND    THE    ROD 


BY    S.v  H.    HAMMOND. 

AUTHOR  OF  "HILLS,  LAKES  AND  FOREST  STREAMS,"  "SUMMER  RAMBLBS,"  ETC. 


NEW   YOKK: 

DEBBY   &   JACKSON,   119     NASSAU   ST., 
1857. 


ENTERIC  According  to  Act  of  Congress,  In  the  year  1961,  by 

DERBY    *    JACKSON, 
In  the  Clerk't  Office  of  the  Dirtrlct  Court  of  the  United  St»to«,  for  the  Southern  Dtatrict  of  New  York. 


w.  H.  TmoK,  RUEorrrn.  ««o.  KCMKLL  *  co.,  ruimms. 


TO  JOHN  H.  REYNOLDS,  ESQ., 

OP  ALBANY. 

You  have  floated  over  the  beautiful  lakes  and  along  the  pleasant 
rivers  of  that  broad  wilderness  lying  between  the  majestic  St.  Law- 
rence and  Lake  Champlain.  You  have,  in  seasons  of  relaxation 
from  the  labors  of  a  profession  in  which  you  have  achieved  such 
enviable  distinction,  indulged  in  the  sports  pertaining  to  that  wild 
region.  You  have  listened  to  the  glad  music  of  the  woods  when  the 
morning  was  young,  and  to  the  solemn  night  voices  of  the  forest 
when  darkness  enshrouded  the  earth.  You  are,  therefore,  familiar 
with  the  scenery  described  in  the  following  pages. 

Permit  me,  then,  to  dedicate  this  book  to  you,  not  because  of  your 
eminence  as  a  lawyer,  nor  yet  on  account  of  your  distinguished  posi- 
tion as  a  citizen,  but  as  a  keen,  intelligent  sportsman,  one  who  loves 
nature  in  her  primeval  wildness,  and  who  is  at  home,  with  a  rifle 
and  rod,  in  the  old  woods. 

With  sentiments  of  great  respect, 

I  remain  your  friend  and  servant, 

THE  AUTHOR. 


INTRODUCTORY. 


THERE  is  a  broad  sweep  of  country  lying  between 
the  St.  Lawrence  and  Lake  Champlain,  which  civil- 
ization with  its  improvements  and  its  rush  of  pro- 
gress has  not  yet  invaded.  It  is  mountainous,  rocky, 
and  for  all  agricultural  purposes  sterile  and  unpro- 
ductive. It  is  covered  with  dense  forests,  and 
inhabited  by  the  same  wild  things,  save  the  red 
man  alone,  that  were  there  thousands  of  years  ago. 
It  abounds  in  the  most  beautiful  lakes  that  the  sun 
or  the  stars  ever  shone  upon.  I  have  stood  upon  the 
immense  boulder  that  forms  the  head  or  summit  of 
Baldface  Mountain,  a  lofty,  isolated  peak,  looming 
thousands  of  feet  towards  the  sky,  and  counted 
upwards  of  twenty  of  these  beautiful  lakes — sleep- 


Tli 


Vlll  INTRODUCTORY. 

ing  in  quiet  beauty  in  their  forest  beds,  surrounded 
by  primeval  woods,  overlooked  by  rugged  hills,  and 
their  placid  waters  glowing  in  the  sunlight. 

It  is  a  high  region,  from  which  numerous  rivers 
take  their  rise  to  wander  away  through  gorges  and 
narrow  valleys,  sometimes  rushing  down  rapids, 
plunging  over  precipices,  or  moving  in  deep  sluggish 
currents,  some  to  Ontario,  some  to  the  St.  Lawrence, 
some  to  Champlain,  and  some  to  seek  the  ocean, 
through  the  valley  of  the  Hudson.  The  air  of  this 
mountain  region  in  the  summer  is  of  the  purest, 
loaded  always  with  the  freshness  and  the  pleasant 
odors  of  the  forest.  It  gives  strength  to  the  system, 
weakened  by  labor  or  reduced  by  the  corrupted  and 
debilitating  atmosphere  of  the  cities.  It  gives 
elasticity  and  buoyancy  to  the  mind  depressed  by 
continued  toil,  or  the  cares  and  anxieties  of  business, 
and  makes  the  blood  course  through  the  veins  with 
renewed  vigor  and  recuperated  vitality. 

The  invalid,  whose  health  is  impaired  by  excessive 
labor,  but  who  is  yet  able  to  exercise  in  the  open  air, 
will  find  a  visit  to  these  beautiful  lakes  and  pleasant 
rivers,  and  a  fortnight  or  a  month's  stay  among  them, 
vastly  more  efficacious  in  restoring  strength  and  tone 
to  his  system  than  all  the  remedial  agencies  of  the 
most  skillful  physicians.  I  can  speak  understand- 


rNTBODTJCTORY.  IX 

ingly  on  this  subject,  and  from  evidences  furnished 
by  my  own  personal  experience  and  observation. 

To  the  sportsman,  whether  of  the  forest  or  flood, 
who  has  a  taste  for  nature  as  God  threw  it  from  his 
hand,  who  loves  the  mountains,  the  old  woods, 
romantic  lakes,  and  wild  forest  streams,  this  region 
is  peculiarly  inviting.  The  lakes,  the  rivers,  and  the 
streams  abound  in  trout,  while  "abundance  of  deer 
feed  on  the  lily  pads  and  grasses  that  grow  in  the 
shallow  water,  or  the  natural  meadows  that  line  the 
shore.  The  fish  may  be  taken  at  any  season,  and 
during  the  months  of  July  and  August  he  will  find 
deer  enough  feeding  along  the  margins  of  the  lakes 
and  rivers,  and  easily  to  be  come  at,  to  satisfy  any 
reasonable  or  honorable  sportsman.  I  have  been 
within  fair  shooting  distance  of  twenty  in  a  single 
afternoon  while  floating  along  one  of  those  rivers, 
and  have  counted  upwards  of  forty  in  view  at  the 
same  time,  feeding  along  the  margin  of  one  of  the 
beautiful  lakes  hid  away  in  the  deep  forest. 

The  scenery  I  have  attempted  to  describe — the 
lakes,  rivers,  mountains,  islands,  rocks,  valleys  and 
streams,  will  be  found  as  recorded  in  this  volume. 
The  game  will  be  found  as  I  have  asserted,  unless 
perchance  an  army  of  sportsmen  may  have  thinned 
it  somewhat  on  the  borders,  or  driven  it  deeper  into 

1* 


X  INTBODUOTORY. 

the  broad  wilderness  spoken  of.  I  was  over  a  por- 
tion of  that  wilderness  last  summer,  and  found  plenty 
of  trout  and  abundance  of  deer.  I  heard  the  howl 
of  the  wolf,  the  scream  of  the  panther,  and  the 
hoarse  bellow  of  the  moose,  and  though  I  did  not 
succeed  in  taking  or  even  seeing  any  of  these  latter 
animals,  yet  I  or  my  companion  slew  a  deer  every 
day  after  we  entered  the  forest,  and  might  have 
slaughtered  half  a  dozen  had  we  been  so  disposed. 
Though  the  excursion  spoken  of  in  the  following 
pages  was  taken  four  years  ago,  yet  I  found,  the  last 
summer,  small  diminution  of  the  trout  even  in  the 
border  streams  and  lakes  of  the  "  Saranac  and 
Rackett  woods." 

I  have  visited  portions  of  this  wilderness  at  least 
once  every  summer  for  the  last  ten  years,  and  I  have 
never  yet  been  disappointed  with  my  fortnight's 
sport,  or  failed  to  meet  with  a  degree  of  success 
which  abundantly  satisfied  me,  at  least.  I  have 
generally  gone  into  the  woods  weakened  in  body 
and  depressed  in  mind.  I  have  always  come  out  of 
them  with  renewed  health  and  strength,  a  perfect 
digestion,  and  a  buoyant  and  cheerful  spirit. 

For  myself,  I  have  come  to  regard  these  moun- 
tains, these  lakes  and  streams,  these  old  forests,  and 
all  this  wild  region,  as  my  settled  summer  resort, 


INTEODUCTOET.  XI 

instead  of  the  discomforts,  the  jam,  the  excitement, 
and  the  unrest  of  the  watering-places  or  the  sea 
shore.  I  visit  them  for  their  calm  seclusion,  their 
pure  air,  their  natural  cheerfulness,  their  transcend- 
ant  beauty,  their  brilliant  mornings,  their  glorious 
sunsets,  their  quiet  and  repose.  I  visit  them  too, 
because  when  among  them,  I  can  take  off  the  armor 
which  one  is  compelled  to  wear,  and  remove  the 
watch  which  one  must  set  over  himself,  in  the 
crowded  thoroughfares  of  life ;  because  I  can  whistle, 
sing,  shout,  hurrah  and  be  jolly,  without  exciting 
the  ridicule  or  provoking  the  contempt  of  the  world. 
In  short,  because  I  can  go  back  to  the  days  of  old, 
and  think,  and  act,  and  feel  like  "  a  boy  again." 


CONTENTS. 


CHAPTER  I. 

PAOB 

A  Great  Institution, 19 


CHAPTER  H. 
Hurrah !  for  the  Country, 27 

CHAPTER  HI. 
The  Departure— The  Stag  Hounds— The  Chase — Round  Lake,     .    85 

CHAPTER  IV. 
The  Doctor's  Story — A  Slippery  Fish — A  Lawsuit  and  a  Compro- 


42 


CHAPTER  V. 
A  Frightened  Animal — Trolling  for  Trout — The  Boatman's  Story,     61 

at 


xiv  CONTENTS. 

CHAPTER   VI. 

rial 

The  Upper  Saranac — Spectacle  Ponds — The  Accusation  and  the 
Defence, _  •  *--»-.  .64 

CHAPTER  VII. 

Kinks !—" Dirty  Dogs" — The  Barking  Dog  that  was  found  Dead 
in  the  Yard — The  Dog  that  Barked  himself  to  Death,  .  .71 

CHAPTER  VIII. 

Stony  Brook — A  Good  Time  with  the  Trout — Rackett  River — 
Tupper's  Lake — A  Question  Asked  and  Answered,  .  .  .79 

CHAPTER  IX. 

Hunting  by  Torchlight — An  Incompetent  Judge — A  New  Sound 
in  the  Forest — Old  Sangamo's  Donkey, 92 

CHAPTER  X. 

Grindstone  Brook — Forest  Sounds — A  Funny  Tree  covered  with 
Snow»Flakes, 100 

CHAPTER   XI. 
A  Convention  broken  up  in  a  Row — The  Chairman  ejected,        .  Ill 

CHAPTER  XII. 

The  First  Chain  of  Ponds — Shooting  by  Turns — Sheep  Washing 
— A  Plunge  and  a  Djye— A  Roland  for  an  Oliver,  .  .  .  124 

CHAPTER  XIII. 

A.  Jolly  Time  for  the  Deer — Hunting  on  the  Water  by  Daylight 
— Mud  Lake — Funereal  Scenery — A  New  way  of  Taking  Rabbits 
— The  Negro  and  the  Merino  Buck — A  Collision,  .  .  .188 


CONTENTS.  XV 

CHAPTER   XIV. 

PAGE 

A  Deer  Trapped — The  Result  of  a  Combat — A  Question  of  Mental 
Philosophy  Discussed, 152 

CHAPTER  XV. 

Hooking  up  Trout — The  Left  Branch — The  Rapids — A  Fight  with 
a  Buck, 162 

CHAPTER  XVI. 
Round  Pond — The  Pile  Driver — A  Theory  for  Spiritualists,        .  174 

CHAPTER  XVII. 

Little  Tupper's  Lake — A  Spike  Buck — A  Thunder  Storm  in  the 
Forest— The  Howl  of  the  Wolf, 188 

CHAPTER  XVIII. 

An  Exploring  Voyage  in  an  Alderswamp — A  Beaver  Dam — A 
Fair  Shot  and  a  Miss — Drowning  a  Bear — an  Unpleasant  Pas- 
senger,   203 

CHAPTER  XIX. 

Spalding's  Bear  Story — Climbing  to  avoid  a  Collision — An  Unex- 
pected Meeting — A  Race, 214 

CHAPTER   XX. 

The  Chase  on  the  Island — The  Chase  on  the  Lake — The  Bear — 
Gambling  for  Glory — Anecdote  of  Noah  and  the  Gentleman 
who  offered  to  Officiate  as  Pilot  on  Board  the  Ark,  .  .  226 

CHAPTER   XXI. 

The  Doctor  and  his  Wife  on  a  Fishing  Excursion — The  Law  of 
the  Case — Strong-minded  Women, 239 


XVi  CONTENTS. 

CHAPTER  XXII. 

PAQB 

A  Beautiful  Flower — A  New  Lake — A  Moose — His  Capture — A 
Sumptuous  Dinner,  .  .  .  .  .-..*.  •  26i 

CHAPTER  XXIII. 

The  Cricket  in  the  Wall — The  Minister's  Illustration — Old  Memo- 
*  ries, 265 

CHAPTER  XXIV. 

The  Accidents  of  Life — "Some  Men  Achieve  Greatness,  and 
Some  have  Greatness  Thrust  Upon  Them  " — A  Slide — Rattle- 
snakes at  the  Top  and  an  Icy  Pool  at  the  Bottom — A  Fanciful 
Story 272 

CHAPTER  XXV. 
Headed  Towards  Home — The  Martin   and   Sable   Hunter — His 

Cabin — Autumnal  Scenery, 280 

- 

CHAPTER  XXVI. 

A  Surprise — A  Serenade — A  Visit  from  Strangers — An  Invita- 
tation  to  Breakfast — A  Fashionable  Hour  and  a  Bountiful  Bill 
ofFare,  .  .  ,  ....  289 

CHAPTER  XXVn. 
Would  I  were  a  Boy  Again ! 299 

CHAPTER  XXVIII 

Headed  Down  Stream — Return  to  Tupper's  Lake — The  Camp  on 
the  Island,  ,  ."•  .  „ 806 


CONTENTS.  XV11 

CHAPTER  XXIX. 

PACK 

A  Mysterious  Sound — Treed  by  a  Moose — Angling  for  a  Powder 
Horn — An  Unheeded  Warning  and  the  Consequences,  .  .  817 

CHAPTER    XXX. 

Good-bye — Floating  Down  the  Rackett — A  Black  Fox — A  Trick 
upon  the  Martin  Trappers  and  its  Consequences,  .  .  .  826 

CHAPTER  XXXI. 

Out  of  the  Woods — The  Thousand  Islands — Cape  Vincent — Bass 
Fishing — Home — A  Searcher  after  Truth — An  Interruption — 
Finis, .  886 


CHAPTER  I. 

A     GREAT     INSTITUTION. 

"!T  is  a  great  irritation,"  I  said,  or  rather  thought 
aloud,  one  beautiful  summer  morning,  as  my  wife  was  dress- 
ing the  baby.  The  little  thing  lay  upon  its  face  across  her 
lap,  paddling  and  kicking  with  its  little  bare  arms  and  legs, 
as  such  little  people  are  very  apt  to  do,  while  being  dressed. 
It  was  not  our  baby.  We  have  dispensed  with  that  luxury. 
And  yet  it  was  a  sweet  little  thing,  and  nestled  as  closely  in 
our  hearts  as  if  it  were  our  own.  It  was  our  first  grand- 
child, the  beginning  of  a  third  generation,  so  that  there  is 
small  danger  of  our  name  becoming  extinct.  A  friend  of 
mine,  who  unfortunately  has  no  voice  for  song,  has  a  most 
excellent  wifS  and  beautiful  baby,  and  cannot  therefore  be 
said  to  be  without  music  at  home.  It  is  his  first  descendant, 
and  everybody  knows  that  such  are  just  the  things  of  which 

19 


20  A  GREAT   INSTITUTION. 

fathers  are  very  apt  to  be  proud.  He  was  spending  an 
evening  with  a  neighbor,  and  was  asked  to  sing.  He 
declined,  of  course,  giving  as  a  reason  that  he  never  sang. 

"  Why,  Mr.  H ,"  said  a  black-eyed  little  girl,  of  seven — 

"  why,  Mr.  H -,  don't  you  never  sing  t  to  the  baby  ?" 

Sure  enough !  I  wonder  if  there  ever  was  a  civilized,  a 
human  man,  who  never  sang  to  the  baby.  I  do  not  believe 
that  there  was  ever  such  a  paradox  in  nature,  as  a  man  who 
had  tossed  the  baby  up  and  down,  ballanced  it  on  his  hand, 
given  it  a  ride  on  his  foot,  and  yet  never  sang  to  it.  I  do 
not  care  a  fig  about  melody  of  voice,  or  science  in  quaver- 
ing ;  I  am  not  talking  about  sweetness  of  tone  ;  what  I  mean 
to  say  is,  that  I  do  not  believe  there  is  a  man  living,  even 
though  he  have  no  more  voice  than  a  raven,  who  is  human, 
and  yet  never  sang  to  the  baby,  always  assuming  that  he 
has  one. 

"  A  great  institution,"  I  repeated,  half  in  soliloquy  and 
half  to  my  wife. 

"  What  in  the  world  are  you  talking  about  ?"  said  Mrs. 

H ,  as  she  took  a  pin  from  her  mouth,  and  fastened  the 

band  that  encircled  the  waist  of  the  baby.  The  nurse  was 
tooking  quietly  on,  quite  willing  that  her  work  should  be 
thus  taken  off  her  hands.  Will  somebody  tell  me,  if  there 
ever  was  a  grandmother,  especially  one  who  became  such 
young,  who  could  sit  by,  and  see  the  nurse  dress  her  first,  or 
even  her  tenth  grandchild,  while  it  was  a  helpless  little 
thing,  say  a  foot  or  a  foot  and  a  half  long  ?  The  nurse  is 
so  unhandy ;  she  tumbles  the  baby  about  so  roughly, 


A   GKEAT   INSTITUTION.  21 

handles  it  so  awkwardly,  she  will  certainly  dress  it  too 
loosely,  or  too  tight,  or  leave  a  pin  that  will  prick  it,  or 
some  terrible  calamity  will  happen.  So  she  takes  posses- 
sion of  the  little  thing,  and  with  a  hand  guided  by  expe- 
rience and  the  instincts  of  affection,  puts  its  things  on  hi  a 
Christian  and  comfortable  way. 

"  A  great  institution  1"  I  repeated  again. 

"  I  do  believe  the  man  has  lost  his  wits,"  remarked  Mrs. 

H ,  handing  the  baby  to  the  nurse.     "  Who  ever  heard 

of  a  baby  less  than  three  months  old  being  called  an  insti- 
tution ?" 

"  Never  heard  of  such  a  thing  in  my  life/7  I  replied, 
"  though  a  much  greater  mistake  might  be  made." 

"  What  then,  in  the  name  of  goodness,  have  you  been 
talking  about  ?"  inquired  Mrs.  H .       . 

"  The  COUNTRY  of  course,"  I  replied. 

I  had  just  returned  from  a  business  trip  to  Vermont — 
who  ever  thought  that  Vermont  would  be  traversed  by  rail- 
roads, or  that  the  echoes  which  dwell  among  her  precipices 
and  mountain  fastnesses,  would  ever  wake  to  the  snort  of 
the  iron  flbrse?  Who  ever  thought  that  the  locomotive 
would  go  screaming  and  thundering  along  the  base  of  th» 
Green  Mountains,  hurling  its  ponderous  tram,  loaded  with 
human  freight,  along  the  narrow  valleys  above  which  moun- 
tain peaks  hide  their  heads  in  the  clouds  ?  How  old  Ethan 
Allen  and  General  Stark,  "  Old  Put,"  and  the  other  glorious 
names  that  enrich  the  pages  of  our  revolutionary  history, 
would  open  their  eyes  in  astonishment,  if  they  could  come 


22  A  GREAT  INSTITUTION. 

back  from  "  the  other  side  of  Jordan,"  and  sit  for  a  little 
while  on  their  own  tombstones  in  sight  of  the  railroads,  and 
see  the  trains  as  they  go  rushing  like  a  tornado  along  their 
native  valleys.  - 

I  had  made  up  my  mind  that  morning,  all  at  once,  to  go 
into  the  country.  It  was  a  sudden  resolve,  but  I  acted  upon 
it.  Going  into  the  country  is  a  very  different  thing  from 
what  it  used  to  be.  There  is  no  packing  of  trunks,  or  tak- 
ing leave  of  friends.  You  take  your  satchel  or  travelling 
bag,  kiss  your  wife  in  a  hurry  at  the  door,  and  jump  aboard 
of  the  cars  ;  the  whistle  sounds,  the  locomotive  breathes 
hoarsely  for  a  moment,  and  you  a?e  off  like  a  shot.  In  ten 
minutes  the  suburbs  are  behind  you;  the  fields  and,farms  are 
flying  to  the  rear  ;  you  dash  through  the  woods  and  see  the 
trees  dodging  and.  leaping  behind  and  around  each  other, 
performing  the  dance  of  the  witches  "  in  most  admired  con- 
fusion ;"  in  three  hours  you  are  among  the  hills  of  Massa- 
chusetts, the  mountains  of  Vermont,  on  the  borders  of  the 
majestic  Hudson,  in  the  beautiful  valley  of  the  Mohawk,  a 
hundred  miles  from  the  good  city  of  Albany,  where  you  can 
tramp  among  the  wild  or  tame  things  of  nature  to  your 
h^eart's  content. 

I  had  for  the  moment  no  particular  place  in  view. 
What  I  wanted  was,  to  get  outside  of  the  city,  among  the 
hills,  where  I  could  see  the  old  woods,  the  streams,  the 
mountains,  and  get  a  breath  of  fresh  air,  such  as  I  used  to 
breathe.  I  wanted  to  be  free  and  comfortable  for  a  month  ; 
to  lay  around  loose  in  a  promiscuous  way  among  the  hills, 


A  GREAT  mSTITUTION.  23 

where  beautiful  lakes  lay  sleeping  in  their  quiet  loveliness  ; 
where  the  rivers  flow  on  their  everlasting  coarse  through 
primeval  forests  ;  where  the  moose,  the  deer,  the  panther 
and  the  wolf  still  range,  and  where  the  speckled  trout  sport 
in  the  crystal  waters.  I  had  made  up  my  mind  to  throw 
off  the  cares  a,nd  anxieties  of  business,  and  visit  that  great 
institution  spread  out  all  around  us  by  the  Almighty,  to 
make  men  healthier,  wiser,  better.  I  had  resolved  to  go 
into  the  country.  That  was  a  fixed  fact.  But  where  ? 

There  stood  my  rifle  in  one  corner  of  the  room,  and  my 
fishing  rods  in  the  other.  The  sight  of  these  settled  the 
matter.  "  I  will  go  to  the  North,"  I  said. 

"  Go  to  the  North  !"  said  Mrs.  H .     "  Do  tell  me  if 

you've  got  another  of  your  old  hunting  and  fishing  fits  ou 
you  again  ?" 

"  Yes,"  I  replied,  "  I've  felt  it  coming  on  for  a  week,  and 
I've  got  it  bad." 

"  Very  well,"  said  my  wife,  "  if  the  fit  is  on  you,  there's 
no  use  in  remonstrating  ;  your  valise  will  be  ready  by  the 
morning  train."  And  so  the  matter  was  settled. 

But  I  must  have  a  companion,  somebody  to  talk  to  and 
with,  somebody  who  could  appreciate  the  beauties  of  nature ; 
who  loved"  the  old  woods,  the  wilderness,  and  all  the  wild 
things  pertaining  to  them  ;  to  whom  the  forests,  the  lakes, 
and  tall  mountains,  the  rivers  and  streams,  would  recall  the 
long  past ;  to  whom  the  forest  songs  and  sounds  would  bring 
back  the  memories  of  old,  and  make  him  "  a  boy  again." 
So  I  sallied  out  to  find  him.  I  had  scarcely  traversed  a 


24  A  GREAT   INSTITUTION. 

square,  when  I  met  my  friend,  the  doctor,  with  carpet  bag 
in  hand,  on  his  way  to  the  depot. 

"  Whither  away,  my  friend  ?"  I  inquired,  as  we  shook 
hands. 

"  Into  the  country,"  he  replied. 

"  Very  well,  but  where  ?" 

"  Into  the  country,"  he  repeated,  "  don't  you  comprehend  ? 
Into  the  country,  by  the  first'  tram  ;  anywhere,  everywhere, 
all  along  shore." 

"  Go  with  me,"  said  I,  "for  a  month." 

"  A  month  !  Bless  your  simple  soul,  every  patient  I've 
got  will  be  well  in  less  than  half  that  time  ;  but  let  them, 
I'll  be  avenged  on  them  another  time.  But  where  do  you 
go?" 

"  To  my  old  haunts  in  the  North,"  I  replied. 


"  To  follow  the  stag  to  his  slip'ry  crag, 
And  to  chase  the  bounding  roe." 


"  But,"  said  he,  "  I've  no  rifle." 

"  I've  got  four." 

"  I've  no  fishing  rod." 

"  I've  half  a  dozen  at  your  service." 

"  Give  me  your  hand,"  said  he  ;  "I'm  with  you."  And 
so  the  doctor  was  booked. 

"  Suppose,"  said  the  doctor,  "  we  beat  up  Smith  and 
Spalding,  and  take  them  along.  Smith  has  got  one  of  his 
old  fits  of  the  hypo.  He  sent  for  me  to-day,  and  I  pre- 


A  GREAT   INSTITUTION.  25 

scribed  a  frugal  diet  and  the  country.  Wild  game,  and 
bleeding  by  the  musquitoes,  will  do  him  good.  Spalding 
is  entitled  to  a  holiday,  for  he's  working  himself  into  dys- 
pepsia in  this  hot  weather." 

"  Just  the  thing;"  I  replied,  and  we  started  to  find  Smith 
and  Spalding.  We  found  them,  and  it  was  settled  that 
they  should  go  with  us  for  a  month  among  the  mountains. 
Everybody  knows  Smith,  the  good-natured,  eccentric  Smith; 
Smith  the  bachelor,  who  has  an  income  greatly  beyond  his 
moderate  expenditures,  and  enough  of  capital  to  spoil,  as  he 
says,  the  orphan  children  of  his  sister.  By  way  of  saving 
them  from  being  thrown  upon  the  cold  world  with  a  fortune, 
he  declares  he  will  spend  every  dollar  of  it  himself,  simply 
out  of  regard  for  them.  But  Smith  will  do  no  such  thing, 
and  the  tenderness  with  which  he  is  rearing  the  two  beauti- 
ful, black-eyed,  raven-haired  little  girls,  proves  that  he  will 
not.  But  Smith  has  no  professional  calling  or  business,  and 
when  his  digestion  troubles  him,  he  has  visions  of  the  alms- 
house,  and  the  Potters'  Field,  and  of  two  mendicant  little 
girls,  while  his  endorsement  would  be  regarded  as  good  at 
the  bank  for  a  hundred  thousand  dollars. 

Spalding,  as  everybody  within  a  hundred  leagues  of  the 
capitol  knows,  is  a  lawyer  of  eminence,  full  of  good-nature, 
always  cheerful,  always  instructive  ;  a  troublesome  opponent 
at  the  bar  ;  a  man  of  genial  sympathies  and  a  big  heart. 
If  I  have  given  him,  as  well  as  Smith,  a  nom  de  plume,  it  is 
out  of  regard  for  their  modesty.  We  arranged  to  meet  at 

2 


26  A   GREAT  INSTITUTION. 

the  cars,  the  next  morning  at  six,  each  with  a  rifle  and 
fishing  rod,  to  be  away  for  a  month  among  the  deer  and  the 
trout,  floating  over  lakes  the  most  beautiful,  and  along 
rivers  the  pleasantest  that  the  sun  ever  shone  upon. 


CHAPTER  II. 
HURRAH!  FOR  THE  COUNTRY! 

HURRAH  !  hurrah  !  We  are  in  the  country — the  'glori- 
ous country  !  Outside  of  the  thronged  streets  ;  away  from 
piled  up  bricks  and  mortar  ;  outside  of  the  clank  of  machin- 
ery ;  the  rumbling  of  carriages  ;  the  roar  of  the  escape 
pipe  ;  the  scream  of  the  steam  whistle  ;  the  tramp,  tramp 
of  moving  thousands  on  the  stone  sidewalks  ;  away  from  the 
heated  atmosphere  of  the  city,  loaded  with  the  smoke  and 
dust,  and  gasses  of  furnaces,«and  the  ten  thousand  manufac- 
tories of  villainous  smells.  We  are  beyond  even  the  mea- 
dows and  green  fields.  We  are  here  alone  with  nature, 
surrounded  by  old  primeval  things.  Tall  forest  trees,  moun- 
tain and  valley  are  on  the  right  hand  and  on  the  left. 
Before  us,  stretching  away  for  miles,  is  a  beautiful  lake,  its 
waters  calm  and  placid,  giving  back  the  bright  heavens, 
the  old  woods,  the  fleecy  clouds  that  drift  across  the 
sky,  from  away  down  in  its  quiet  depths.  Beyond  still, 

97 


28  HURRAH!   FOB  THE  COUNTRY! 

are  mountain  ranges,  whose  castellated  peaks  stand  ont 
in  sharp  and  bold  relief,  on  whose  tops  the  beams  of  the 
descending  sun  lie  like  a  mantle  of  silver  and  gold.  Glad 
voices  are  ringing  ;  sounds  of  merriment  make  the  evening 
joyous  with  the  music  of  the  wild  things  around  us.  Hark  ! 
how  from  away  off  over  the  water,  the  voice  of  the  loon 
comes  clear  and  musical  and  shrill,  like  the  sound  of  a 
clarion  ;  and  note  how  it  is  borne  about  by  the  echoes  from 
hill  to  hill.  Hark  1  again,  to  that  clanking  sound  away  up 
in  the  air  ;  metallic  ringing,  like  the  tones  of  a  bell.  It  is 
the  call  of  the  cock  of  the  woods  as  he  flies,  rising  and  fall- 
ing, glancing  upward  and  downward  in  his  billowy  flight 
across  the  lake.  Hark  I  to  that  dull  sound,  like  blows 
upon  some  soft,  hollow,  half  sonorous  substance,  slow  and 
measured  at  first,  but  increasing  in  rapidity,  until  it  rolls 
like  the  beat  of  a  muffled  drum,  or  the  low  growl  of  the  far- 
off  thunder*  It  is  the  partridge  drumming  upon  his  log 
Hark  1  still  again,  to  that  quavering  note,  resembling  some- 
what the  voice  of  the  tree-frog  when  the  storm  is  gathering, 
but  not  so  clear  and  shrill.  It  is  the  call  of  the  raccoon,  as 
he  clambers  up  some  old  forest  tree,  and  seats  himself 
among  the  lowest  of  its  great  limbs.  Listen  to  the  almost 
human  halloo,  the  "hoo  !  hohoo,  hoo  1"  that  comes  out 
from  the  clustering  foliage  of  an  ancient  hemlock.  It  is  the 
solemn  call  of  the  owl,  as  he  sits  among  the  limbs,  looking 
out  from  between  the  branches  with  his  great  round  grey 
e^es.  Listen  again  and  you  will  hear  the  voice  of  the  cat- 
bird, the  brown  thrush,  the  chervink,  the  little  chickadee,  the 


HURRAH!   FOE  THE  COUNTRY!  29 

wood  robin,  the  blue-jay,  the  wood  sparrow,  and  a  hundred 
other  nameless  birds  that  live  and  build  their  nests  and  sing 
among  these  old  woods. 

But  go  a  little  nearer  the  lake,  and  you  will  have  a  concert 
that  will  drown  all  these  voices  in  its  tumultuous  roar. 
Compared  to  these  feeble  strains,  it  is  the  crashing  of  Julien's 
hundred  brazen  instruments  to  the  soft  and  sweet  melody 
of  Ole  Bull's  violin.  Come  with  me  to  this  rocky  promon- 
tory ;  stand  with  me  on  this  moss-covered  boulder,  which 
forms  the  point.  On  either  hand  is  a  little  bay,  the  head  of 
which  is  hidden  around  among  the  woods.  See  !  over 
against  us,  on  the  limb  of  that  dead  fir  tree,  which  leans  out 
over  the  water,  is  a  bald  eagle,  straightening  with  his  hooked 
beak  the  feathers  of  his  wings,  and  pausing  now  and  then  to 
look  out  over  the  water  for  some  careless  duck  of  which  to 
make  prey.  See  !  he  has  leaped  from  his  perch,  has  spread 
his  broad  pinions,  and  is  soaring  upward  towards  the  sky. 
See  !  how  he  circles  round  and  round,  mounting  higher  and 
higher  at  every  gyration.  He  is  like  a  speck  in  the  air. 
But  see  I  he  is  above  the  mountains  now,  and  how  like  an 
arrow  he  goes,  straight  forward,  with  no  visible  motion  to 
his  wings.  He  has  laid  his  course  for  some  lake,  deeper  in 
the  wilderness,  beyond  that  range  of  hills,  and  he  is  there, 
even  while  we  are  talking  of  his  flight.  A  swift  bird,  the 
swiftest  of  all  the  birds,  is  the  eagle,  when  he  takes  his  de- 
scending stoop  from  his  place  away  up  in  the  sky.  He 
cleaves  the  air  like  a  bullet,  and  so  swift  is  his  career  that 
the  eye  can  scarcely  trace  his  flight. 


30  HURRAH!   FOR  THE  COUNTRY  ! 

But,  hark  !  all  is  still  now,  save  the  piping  notes  of  the 
little  peeper  along  the  shore.  Wait,  however,  a  moment. 
There,  hear  that  venerable  podunker  off  to  the  right,  with  his 
deep  bass,  like  the  sound  of  a  brazen  serpent.  Listen  ! 
another  deep  voice  on  the  left  has  fallen  in.  There,  another 
right  over  against  us  I  another  and  another  still  I  a  dozen  I  a 
hundred  1  a  thousand  !  ten  thousand  1  a  million  of  them  ! 
close  by  us  1  far  off !  on  the  right  hand  and  on  the  left ! 
here  !  there  !  everywhere  !  until  above,  around  us,  all 
through  the  woods,  all  along  the  shore,  all  over  the  lake  is 
a  solid  roar,  unpenetrable  to  any  other  sound,  surging  and 
swaying,  rolling  and  swelling  as  if  all  the  voices  in  the 
world  were  concentrated  in  one  stupendous  concert. 

But,  hark  !  the  roar  is  dying  away  ;  voice  after  voice 
.drops  out ;  here  and  there  is  one  laggard  in  the  song,  still 
dragging  out  the  chorus.  Now  all  is  still  again,  save  the 
note  of  the  little  peeper  along  the  shore.  In  two  minutes 
that  band  will  strike  up  again.  The  roar  will  go  bellowing 
over  the  lake  through  the  woods,  to  be  thrown  from  hill  to 
hill,  to  die  away  into  silence  again  ;  and  so  it  will  be  through 
all  the  long  night,  and  until  the  sun  looks  out  from  among 
the  tree  tops  in  the  morning.  Touch  that  solemn  looking 
old  croaker  on  yonder  broad  leaf  of  that  pond  lily,  with  the 
end  of  your  fishing  rod,  while  the  music  is  at  the  highest, 
he  will  send  forth  a  quick  discordant  and  cracked  cry,  like 
that  of  a  greedy  dog  choked  with  a  bone,  as  he  plunges  for 
the  bottom  ;  and  note  how  suddenly  that  sound  will  be 
repeated,  and  how  quick  the  roar  of  the  frogs  will  be  hushed 


HUEKAH!  FOB  THE  COUNTRY!       31 

into  silence.  That  is  a  cry  of  alarm,  a  note  of  danger,  and 
every  frog  within  hearing  understands  its  import. 

Is  it  asked  where  we  are  ?  I  answer,  we  are  on  the  Lower 
Saranac  Lake,  just  on  the  south  point,  at  the  entrance  of 

• 

the  romantic  little  bay,  at  the  head  of  which  stands  Martin's 
Lake  House,  the  only  human  dwelling  in  sight  of  this  beau- 
tiful sheet  of  water.  On  the  point  where  we  now  are,  long 
ago,  was  the  log  shanty  of  a  hunter  and  fisherman,  sur- 
rounded by  an  acre  or  two  of  cleared  land.  But  its  occu- 
pant moved  deeper  into  the  wilderness,  over  on  the  waters 
of  the  Rackett,  many  years  since  ;  the  log  shanty  has  rot- 
ted away,  and  a  vigorous  growth  of  brush  and  small  timber, 
now  covers  what  once  may  have  been  called  a  field. 

But  the  night  shadows  are  beginning  to  gather  over  the 
forest,  throwing  a  sort  of  spectral  gloom  among  the  old 
woods,  giving  a  distorted  look  to  the  trunks  of  the  trees, 
the  low  bushes,  the  turned  up  roots,  and  the  boulders  scat- 
tered over  the  ground.  See  what  ogre  shapes  these  things 
assume  as  the  darkness  deepens.  Look  at  that  cedar  bush, 
with  its  dense  foliage  1  It  is  a  crouching  lion,  and  as  its 
branches  wave  in  the  gentle  breeze,  he  seems  preparing  for 
his  leap  ;  and  yonder  boulder  is  a  huge  elephant !  The 
root  that  comes  out  from  the  crevice  is  his  trunk,  and  the 
moss  and  lichens  which  hang  down  on  either  side  are  his 
pendant  ears  ;  and  see,  he  has  a  great  tower  on  his  back, 
wherein  is  seated  a  warrior  in  his  ancient  armor,  grasping 
battle-axe  and  spear.  Beyond,  through  that  opening  upon 
the  bay,  is  a  castle  looming  darkly  against  the  sky,  with  mas- 


32  HURRAH!   FOE  THE  COUNTRY! 

sive  towers  and  arched  gateway.  Such  are  the  forms  which 
fancy  gives  to  these  forest  things,  in  the  doubtful  twilight 
of  a.  summer  evening.  While  we  have  been  looking  upon 
these  unsubstantial  shadows,  the  sunlight  has  left  the  moun- 
tain peaks,  the  stars  have  come  out  in  the  sky,  and  the  moon 
has  started  on  her  course  across  the  heavens. 

Let  us  rest  on  our  oars  a  moment,  here  in  the  bay,  to 
view  the  scenery  around  us,  as  seen  by  the  mellow  moon- 
light. So  calm,  so  still,  so  motionless  are  both  air  and  water, 
that  we  seem  suspended  between  the  sky  above,  sparkling 
and  glowing  with  millions  of  bright  stars,  and  the  moon  rid- 
ing gloriously  on  her  course,  and  a  sky  beneath,  sparkling 
and  glowing  with  like  millions  of  bright  stars,  and  the  same 
moon,  or  its  counterpart,  floating  away  down  in  fathomless 
depths  below  us.  See,  how  the  same  hillside,  the  same  line 
of  forest  trees,  the  same  ranges  and  mountain  peaks  are 
reflected  back  from  the  stirless  bosom  of  the  lake.  There, 
above,  and  just  on  the  upper  line  of  that  tall  peak,  looming 
darkly  and  majestically  in  the  distance,  hangs  a  brilliant  star, 
sparkling  and  twinkling,  like  the  sheen  of  a  diamond  ;  and 
right  beneath,  away  down  just  as  far  below  the  surface  of 
the  water  as  mountain  peak  and  star  are  above  it,  is  another 

• 

mountain  peak  and  bright  star,  twinned  by  the  mirrored 
waters.  See,  away  down  the  lake,  that  little  island  with  its 
half  dozen  spruce  trees,  clustered  together !  How  like  a 
great  war  vessel  it  looks,  with  sails  all  set,  as  seen  by  the 
uncertain  light  of  the  moon.  And  that  other  island,  off  to 
the  left,  with  the  dead  and  barkless  trees,  how  like  a  tall 


HUEBAH!  FOB  THE  COUNTRY!       33 

i 

ship  with  bare  masts  riding  at  anchor  it  seems.  That  other 
island,  away  to  the  right,  with  its  great  boulders  and  bare 
rocks  rising  straight  up  out  of  the  water,  is  a  fortification,  a 
stronghold  surrounded  by  a  wall  of  solid  masonry,  and 
bristling  with  cannon.  We  can  almost  see  the  sentinel,  and 
hear  his  measured  tramp  as  he  travels  his  lonely  rounds, 
keeping  watch  out  over  the  waters.  See  all  along  the  shore, 
as  you  look  up  the  bay  towards  the  Lake  House,  how  the 
millions  of  fireflies  flash  their  tiny  torches,  upward  and  down- 
ward, this  way  and  that,  mingling  and  crossing,  and  gyrat- 
ing and  whirling — a  troubled  and  billowy  sea  of  millions  upon 
millions  of  glowing  and  sparkling  gems. 

Header,  were  you  and  I  gifted  with  the  spirit  of  poetry,  what 
inspiration  would  we  not  gather  from  the  glories  which  sur- 
round us,  as  we  float  of  a  summer  evening  over  these  beautiful 
lakes,  sleeping  away  out  here,  in  all  their  virgin  loveliness, 
among  these  old  primeval  things  ?  But  you  ask,  "  what  inspi- 
ration can  there  be  in  a  moon  and  stars,  that  we  see  every 
night,  when  the  sky  is  cloudless  ;  in  a  desolate  wilderness  ;  the 
roar  of  the  frogs  ;  the  hooting  of  owls  ;  these  useless  waters  ; 
the  phosphorescent  flash  of  lightning  bugs  ;  these  piled  up 
rocks  and  barren  mountains  ?  Can  you  grow  corn  on  these 
hills,  or  make  pastures  of  these  rocky  lowlands  ?  Can  you 
harness  these  rivers  to  great  waterwheels,  or  make  reservoirs 
of  these  lakes  ?  Can  you  convert  these  old  forests  into  lum- 
ber or  cordwood  ?  Can  you  quarry  these  rocks,  lay  them 
up  with  mortar  into  houses,  mills,  churches,  public  edifices  ? 
Can  you  make  what  you  call  these  'old  prune val  things' 

2* 


34:  HURRAH!   FOE  THE  COTTNTKT! 

utilitarian  ?     Can  you  make  them  minister  to  the  progress 
of  civilization,  or  coin  them  into  dollars  ?" 

Pshaw  !  You  have  spoiled,  with  your  worldliness,  your 
greed  for  progress,  your  thirst  for  gain,  a  pleasant  fancy,  a 
glorious  dream,  as  if  everything  in  the  heavens,  on  the 
earth,  or  in  the  waters,  were  to  be  measured  by  the  dollar 
and  cent  standard,  and  unless  reducible  to  a  representative 
of  moneyed  value,  to  be  thrown,  as  utterly  worthless,  away. 
Let  us  row  back  to  the  Lake  House. 


CHAPTER  III. 

THE  DEPARTURE — THE  STAG  HOUNDS — THE  CHASE — ROUND 
LAKE. 

FROM  Martin's  Lake  House  we  were  to  take  our  depar- 
ture in  the  morning.  We  had  arranged  for  three  boats, 
and  as  many  stalwart  boatmen.  Two  of  these  boats  were 
for  our  own  conveyance,  and  one  for  our  luggage  and  provi- 
sions ;  the  latter  to  be  sent  forward  with  our  tents  in  ad- 
vance, so  as  to  have  a  home  ready  for  us  always,  at  our 
coming,  when  we  chose  to  linger  by  the  way.  These  boat- 
men were  all  jolly,  good-natured  and  pleasant  people,  with 
a  vast  deal  of  practical  sense,  and  a  valuable  experience  in 
woodcraft,  albeit  they  were  rough  and  unpolished.  Their 
hearts  were  in  the  right  place,  and  they  commanded  our 
respect  always  for  their  kindness  and  attention  to  our  wants, 
while  they  maintained  at  all  times  that  sturdy  independence 
which  enters  so  largely  into  the  character  of  the  border  men 
of  our  country.  Their  boats  are  constructed  of  spruce  or 
cedar  boards  of  a  quarter  of  an  inch  in  thickness,  "  clap- 


36  THE  DEPARTURE. 

* 

boarded,"  as  the  expression  is,  upon  "  knees  "  of  the  natural 
crook,  and  weigh  from  ninety  to  one  hundred  and  ten 
pounds  each.  They  are  carried  around  rapids,  or  from  river 
to  river,  on  the  back  of  the  boatman  in  this  wise  :  A 
"  yoke "  is  provided,  such  as  every  man  in  the  country, 
especially  all  who  have  visited  a  "  sugar  bush  "  at  the  sea- 
son of  sugar  making,  has  seen.  At  the  end  of  this  yoke  is  a 
round  iron  projection,  made  to  fit  into  a  socket  in  the  upper 
rave  of  the  boat.  The  craft  is  turned  bottom  upwards,  the 
yoke  adjusted  to  the  shoulders,  the  iron  projections  fitted 
into  the  sockets,  and  the  boatman  marches  off  with  his  boat, 
like  a  turtle  with  his  shell  upon  his  back.  He  will  carry  it 
thus  sometimes  half  a  mile  before  stopping  to  rest. 

With  us  were  to  go  two  staid  and  sober  stag  hounds, 
grave  in  aspect  and  trained  and  experienced,  almost,  in  wood- 
craft, as  their  masters  ;  animals  that  had  been  reared  to- 
gether, and  who  possessed  the  rare  instinct  of  returning  al- 
ways to  the  shanty  from  which  they  started,  however  far  the 
chase  may  have  led  them.  It  was  a  glorious  sound  in  the 
old  forests,  the  music  of  those  two  hounds,  as  their  voices 
rang  out  bold  and  free,  like  a  bugle,  and  went  ringing 
through  the  forest,  echoing  among  the  mountains  and  dying 
away  over  the  lakes.  But  of  that  hereafter. 

Our  little  fleet  swung  out  upon  the  water,  while  the  sun 
was  yet  hanging  like  a  great  torch  among  the  tops  of  the 
trees,  on  the  eastern  hills.  It  was  a  beautiful  morning,  so 
fresh,  so  genial,  so  balmy.  A  pleasant  breeze  came  sweep- 
ing lazily  over  the  lake,  and  went  sighing  and  moaning 


THE   DEPARTURE.  3V 

among  the  old  forest  trees.  All  around  us  were  glad  voices. 
The  partridge  drummed  upon  his  log  ;  the  squirrels  chat- 
tered as  they  chased  each  other  up  and  down  the  great 
trunks  of  the  trees;  the  loon  lifted  up  his  clarion  voice  away 
out  upon  the  water  ;  the  eagle  and  the  osprey  screamed  as 
they  hovered  high  above  us  in  the  air,  while  a  thousand 
merry  voices  came  from  out  the  old  woods,  all  mingling  in 
the  harmony  of  nature's  gladness.  A  loud  and  repeated 
hurrah  I  burst  from  us  all  as  our  oars  struck  the  water,  and 
sent  our  little  boats  bounding  over  the  rippled  surface  of 
the  beautiful  Saranac. 

This  is  a  indeed  a  beautiful  sheet  of  water.  The  shores 
were  lined  with  a  dense  and  unbroken  forest,  stretching  back 
to  the  mountains  which  surround  it.  The  old  wood  stood 
then  in  all  its  primeval  grandeur,  just  as  it  grew.  The  axe 
had  not  harmed  it,  nor  had  fire  marred  its  beauty.  The 
islands  were  covered  with  a  lofty  growth  of  living  timber 
clothed  in  the  deepest  green.  There  were  not  then,  as  now, 
upon  some  of  them,  great  dead  trees  reaching  out  their  long 
bare  arms  in  verdureless  desolation  above  a  stinted  under- 
growth, and  piled  up  trunks  charred  and  blackened  by  the 
fire  that  had  revelled  among  them,  but  all  were  green,  and 
thrifty,  and  glorious  in  their  robes  of  beauty.  Thousands 
of  happy  songsters  carolled  gaily  among  their  branches,  or 
hid  themselves  in  the  dense  foliage  of  their  wide-spread- 
ing arms.  The  islands  are  a  marked  feature  of  these  north- 
ern lakes,  lending  a  peculiar  charm  to  their  quiet  beauty, 
and  one  day,  when  the  iron  horse  shall  go  thundering 


38  THE   DEPARTURE. 

through  these  mountain  gorges,  the  tourist  will  pause  to 
make  a  record  of  their  loveliness. 

Four  or  five  miles  down  the  lake,  is  a  beautiful  bay, 
stretching  for  near  half  a  mile  around  a  high  promontory, 
almost  reaching  another  bay  winding  around  a  like  pro- 
montory beyond,  leaving  a  peninsula  of  five  hundred  acres 
joined  to  the  mam  land,  by  a  narrow  neck  of  some  forty 
rods  in  width.  Our  first  sport  among  the  deer  was  to  be 
the  "driving"  of  this  peninsula.  We  stationed  ourselves  on 
the  narrow  isthmus  within  a  few  rods  of  each  other,  while  a 
boatman  went  round  to  the  opposite  side  to  lay  on  the  dogs. 
We  had  been  at  our  posts  perhaps  half  an  hour,  when  we 
heard  the  measured  bounds  of  a  deer,  as  he  came  crashing 
through  the  forest.  We  could  see  his  white  flag  waving 
above  the  undergrowth,  as  he  came  bounding  towards  us. 
Neither  Smith  nor  Spalding  had  ever  seen  a  deer  in  his 
native  woods,  and  they  were,  by  a  previous  arrangement,  to 
have  the  first  shot,  if  circumstances  should  permit  it.  The 
noble  animal  came  dashing  proudly  on  his  way,  as  if  in 
contempt  of  the  danger  he  was  leaving  behind  him.  Of  the 
greater  danger  into  which  he  was  rushing,  he  was  entirely 
unconscious,  until  the  crack  of  Smith's  rifle  broke  upon  his 
astonished  ear.  He  was  unharmed,  however,  and  quick  as 
thought  he  wheeled  and  plunged  back  in  the  direction  from 
which  he  came  ;  Spalding's  rifle,  as  it  echoed  through  the 
forest,  with  the  whistling  of  the  ball  in  close  proximity  to 
his  head,  added  energy  to  his  flight. 

The  rules  were  scarcely  reloaded  when  the  deep  baying  of 


THE   STAG-HOUNDS THE   CHA8E.  39 

the  hounds  was  heard,  and  two  more  deer  came  crashing 
across  the  isthmus  where  we  were  stationed.  The  foremost 
one  went  down  before  the  doctor's  unerring  rifle  and  cool 
aim,  while  the  other  ran  the  gauntlet  of  the  three  other 
rifles,  horribly  frightened,  but  unharmed,  away.  The  hounds 
were  called  off,  and  with  our  game  in  one  of  the  boats, 
we  rowed  back  around  the  promontory,  and  passed  on 
towards  the  Saranac  River,  which  connects  by  a  tortuous 
course  of  five  miles,  the  Lower  Saranac  with  Round  Lake. 

Midway  between  these  two  lakes,  is  a  fall,  or  rather 
rapids,  down  which  the  river  descends  some  ten  feet  in 
five  or  six  rods  through  a  narrow  cocky  channel,  around 
which  the  boats  had  to  be  carried.  While  this  was  being 
done,  Smith  and  Spalding  adjusted  their  rods,  eager  to 
make  up  in  catching  trout  what  they  failed  to  achieve  in  the 
matter  of  venison.  And  they  succeeded.  In  twenty  minutes 
they  had  fifteen  beautiful  fish,  none  weighing  less  than  half 
a  pound,  safely  deposited  on  the  broad  flat  rock  at  the  head 
of  the  rapids.  "  One  throw  more,"  said  Smith,  "  and  I've 
done  ;"  and  he  cast  his  fly  across  the  still  water  just  above 
the  fall.  Quick  as  thought  it  was  taken  by  a  two-pound 
trout.  Landing  nets  and  gaff  had  been  sent  forward  with 
the  baggage,  and  without  these  it  was  an  exciting  and 
delicate  thing  to  land  that  fish.  The  game  was,  to  prevent 
him  dashing  away  down  the  rapids,  or  diving  beneath  the 
shelving  rock  above,  the  sharp  edge  of  which  would  have 
severed  the  line  like  a  knife.  Skillfully  and  beautifully 
Smith  played  him  for  a  quarter  of  an  hour,  until  at  last  the 


40  BOUND   LAKE. 

fish  turned  his  orange  belly  to  the  surface,  and  ceased  to 
struggle.    He  was  drowned. 

We  had  in  the  morning  directed  the  boatman  in  charge 
of  the  baggage  to  go  on  in  advance,  and  erect  our  tents  on 
an  island  in  Eound  Lake.  When  we  entered  this  beautiful 
sheet  of  water,  about  four  o'clock,  we  saw  the  white  tents 
standing  near  the  shore  of  the  island,  with  a  column  of 
smoke  curling  gracefully  up  among  the  tall  trees  that 
overshadowed  them.  When  we  arrived,  we  found  every- 
thing in  order.  They  were  pitched  in  a  pleasant  spot, 
looking  out  to  the  west  over  the  water,  while  within  were 
beds  of  green  boughs  from  the  spruce  and  fir  trees,  and 
bundles  of  boughs  tied  up  like  faggots  for  pillows.  Our 
first  dinner  in  the  wilderness  was  a  pleasant  one,  albeit  the 
cookery  was  somewhat  primitive.  With  fresh  venison  and 
trout,  seasoned  with  sweet  salt  pork,  we  got  through  with  it 
uncomplainingly. 

This  little  lake  is  a  gem.  It  is,  as  its  name  purports, 
round,  some  four  miles  in  diameter,  surrounded  by  an 
amphitheatre  of  hills,  beneath  whose  shadows  it  reposes 
in  placid  and  quiet  beauty.  On  the  northeast,  Ballface 
Mountain  rears  its  tall  head  far  above  the  intervening 
ranges,  while  away  off  in  the  east  Mount  Marcy  and  Mount 
Seward  stand  out  dim  and  shadowy  against  the  sky. 
Nearer  are  the  Keene  Ranges,  ragged  and  lofty,  their  bare 
and  rocky  summits  glistening  in  the  sunlight,  while  nearer 
still  the  hills  rise,  sometimes  with  steep  and  ragged  acclivity, 
and  sometimes  gently  from  the  shore.  Here  and  there  a 


BOUND   LAKE.  4:1 

valley  winds  away  among  the  highlands,  along  which  the 
mountain  streams  come  bounding  down  rapids,  or  moving  in 
deep  and  sluggish,  but  pure  currents,  towards  the  lake. 
The  rugged  and  sublime,  with  the  placid  and  beautiful,  in 
natural  scenery,  are  magnificently  mingled  in  the  surround- 
ings of  this  little  sheet  of  water. 


CHAPTER   IV. 

THE  DOCTOR'S   STORY — A  SLIPPERY   FISH — A  LAWSUIT  AND  A 
COMPROMISE. 

THERE  seems  to  be  a  law,  or  rather  a  habit  pertaining  to 
forest  life,  into  which  every  one  falls,  while  upon  excursions 
such  as  ours.  Stories  occupy  the  place  of  books,  and  tales 
of  the  marvellous  furnish  a  substitute  for  the  evening  papers. 
Not  that  there  should  be  any  set  rule  or  system,  hi  regard 
to  the  ordering  of  the  matter,  but  a  sort  of  spontaneous 
movement,  an  implied  understanding,  growing  out  of  the 
necessities  of  the  position  of  isolation  occupied  by  those  who 
are  away  from  the  resources  of  civilization.  The  doctor 
had  a  genius  for  story  telling,  or  rather  a  genius  for  inven- 
tion, which  required  only  a  moderate  development  of  the 
organ  of  credulity  on  the  part  of  his  hearers,  to  render  him 
unrivalled.  There  was  an  appearance  of  frank  earnestness 
about  his  manner  of  relating  his  adventures,  which,  however 
improbable  or  even  impossible  as  matter  of  fact  they  might 
be,  commanded,  for  the  moment,  absolute  credence. 

42 


THE  DOCTOR'S  STOKY.  43 

"  They've  a  'curious  fish  in  the  St.  Lawrence,"  said  the 
doctor,  as  he  knocked  the  ashes  from  his  meerschaum,  and 
refilled  it,  "  known  among  the  fishermen  of  that  river  as  the 
LAWYER.  I  have  never  seen  it  among  any  Bother  of  the 
waters  of  this  country,  and  never  there  but  once.  It  never 
bites  at  a  hook,  and  is  taken  only  by  gill-nets,  or  the  seine. 
Everybody,"  he  continued,  "  has  visited  the  Thousand  Islands, 
or  if  everybody  has  not,  he  had  better  go  there  at  once.  He 
will  find  them,  in  the  heat  of  summer,  not  only  the  coolest 
and  most  healthful  retreat,  and  the  pleasantest  scenery  that 
the  eye  ever  rested  upon,  always  excepting  these  beautiful 
lakes,  but  the  best  river  fishing  I  know  of  on  this  continent. 
He  will  not,  to  be  sure,  take  the  speckled  trout  that  we  find 
in  this  region,  but  he  will  be  among  the  black  bass,  the 
pickerel,  muscalunge,  and  striped  bass,  in  the  greatest 
abundance,  and  ready  to  answer  promptly  any  reasonable 
demand  which  he  may  make  upon  them.  Think  of  reeling 
in  a  twenty-pound  pickerel,  or  a  forty-pound  mnscalunge, 
on  a  line  three  hundred  feet  in  length,  playing  him  for  half 
an  hour,  and  landing  him  safely  in  your  boat  at  last  I 
There's  excitement  for  you  worth  talking  about. 

"  I  stopped  over  night  at  Cape  Vincent,  last  summer,  on 
my  way  to  '  the  Thousand  Islands,'  on  a  fishing  excursion  of 
a  week.  I  was  acquainted  with  an  old  fisherman  of  that 
place,  and  agreed  to  go  out  with  him  the  next  morning,  to 
see  what  luck  he  had  with  the  fish.  I  don't  think  much  of 
that  kind  of  fishing,  though  it  is  well  enough  for  those  who 
make  a  business  of  it,  for  the  gill-net  works,  as  the  old  man 


44  THE  DOCTOR'S  STOEY. 

x 

said,  while  the  fisherman  sleeps,  and  all  he  gets  in  that  way 
is  clear  gain. 

*'  Well,  I  rose  early  the  next  morning  to  go  ont  with  the 
old  fisherman  to  his  gill-nets.  It  would  have  done  you  good, 
as  it  did  me,  to  see  how  merry  every  living  thing  was.  The 
birds,  how  jolly  they  were,  and  how  refreshing  the  breeze 
was  that  came  stealing  over  the  water,  making  one  feel  as  if 
he  would  like  to  shout  and  hurrah  in  the  buoyancy,  the 
brightness,  and  glory  of  the  morning.  But  I  am  not  going 
to  be  poetical  about  the  sunrise,  and  the  singing  birds.  We 
went  out  upon  the  river  just  as  the  sun  came  up  with  his 
great,  round,  red  face,  for  there  was  a.  light  smoky  haze 
floating  above  the  eastern  horizon,  and  threw  his  light  like 
a  stream  of  crimson  flame  across  the  water  ;  and  the  mea- 
dow lark  perched  upon  his  fence  stake,  the  blackbird  upon 
his  alderbush,  the  brown  thrush  on  the  topmost  spray  of  the 
wild  thorn,  and  the  bob-o'-link,  as  he  leaped  from  the  mea- 
dow and  poised  himself  on  his  fluttering  wings  in  mid  air, 
all  -sent  up  a  shout  of  gladness  as  if  hailing  the  god  of  the 
morning. 

"  We  came  to  the  nets  and  began  to  draw  in.  You 
ought  to  have  seen  the  fish.  There  were  pickerel  from  four 
to  ten  pounds  in  weight,  white  fish,  black  bass,  rock  bass, 
Oswego  bass,  and  pike  by  the  dozen  ;  and,  what  was  a 
stranger  to  me,  a  queer  looking  specimen  of  the  piscatory 
tribes,  half  bull-head,  and  half  eel,  with  a  cross  of  the 
lizard. 

" '  What  on  earth  is  that  ?'  said  I,  to  the  fisherman. 


A   SLIPPERY   FISH.  45 

" '  That,'  said  he,  '  is  a  species  of  ling  ;  we  call  it  in  these 
parts  a  LAWYER.' 

"  '  A  lawyer  I'  said  I  ;  '  why,  pray  ?' 

"  '  I  don't  know,'  he  replied,  '  unless  it's  because  he  ain't 
of  much  use,  and  is  the  slipriest  fish  that  swims.' 

"  Mark,"  continued  the  doctor,  turning  to  Spalding  ;  "  I 
mean  no  personality.  I  am  simply  giving  the  old  fisher- 
man's words,  not  my  own." 

"  Proceed  with  the  case,"  said  Spalding,  as  he  sent  a 
column  of  smoke  curling  upward  from  his  lips,  and  with  a 
gravity  that  was  refreshing. 

"  Well,"  resumed  the  doctor,  "  the  LAWYERS  were  thrown 
by  themselves,  and  one  old  fat  fellow,  weighing,  perhaps, 
five  or  six  pounds,  fixed  his  great,  round,  glassy  eyes  upon 
me,  and  opened  his  ugly  mouth,  and  I  thought  I  heard  him 
say,  interrogatively,  '  Well,'  as  if  demanding  that  the  case 
should  proceed  at  once. 

"  '  Well,'  said  I,  in  reply,  '  what's  out  ?' 

"  '  What's  out  I'  he  answered  ;  '  I'm  out— I'm  out  of  my 
element — out  of  water — out  of  court — and  in  this  hot,  dry 
atmosphere,  almost  out  of  breath.  But  what  have  I  been 
summoned  here  for  ?  I  demand  a  copy  of  the  complaint.' 

"  '  My  dear  sir,'  said  I,  '  I'm  not  a  member  of  the  court. 
I  don't  belong  to  the  bar — I'm  not  the  plaintiff — I'm  not  in 
the  profession,  nor  on  the  bench.  I'm  neither  sheriff,  con- 
stable, nor  juror.  I'm  only  a  spectator.  In  the  Eackett 
Woods,  among  the  lakes  and  streams  of  that  wild  region, 
with  a  rod  and  fly,  I'm  at  home'  with  the  trout,  but ' 


46  A   LAWSUIT   AND   A   COMPBOMI8E. 

"  '  Oh  !  ho  !'  he  exclaimed  with  a  chuckle,  '  you're  the 
chap  I  was  consulted  about  down  near  the  mouth  of  the 
Rackett  the  other  day,  by  a  country  trout,  who  was  on  a 
journey  to  visit  his  relatives  in  the  streams  of  Canada.  He 
showed  me  a  hole  in  his  jaw,  made  by  your  hook  at  the 
mouth  of  the  Bog  river.  I've  filed  a  summons  and  com- 
plaint against  you  for  assault  and  battery,  and  beg  to  notify 
you  of  the  fact.' 

"  '  I  plead  the  general  issue,'  said  I. 

"  '  There's  no  such  thing  known  to  the  code/  he  replied. 

"  '  I  deny  the  fact,  then,'  I  exclaimed. 

"  '  That  won't  do,'  he  rejoined  ;  "  the  complaint  is  put  in 
under  oath,  and  you  must  answer  by  affidavit,  of  the  truth 
of  your  denial.' 

"  You  see  my  dilemma.  I  remembered  the  circumstance  of 
hooking  a  noble  trout  at  the  place  alleged,  and  as  the  affair 
has  been  settled,  I'll  tell  you  how  it  was.  At  the  head  of 
Tupper's  Lake,  one  of  the  most  beautiful  sheets  of  water 
that  the  sun  ever  shone  upon,  lying  alone  among  the  moun- 
tains, surrounded  by  old  primeval  forests,  walled  in  by 
palisadoes  of  rocks,  and  studded  with  islands,  the  Bog 
River  enters  ;  this  river* comes  down  from  the  hills  away 
back  in  the  wilderness,  sometimes  rushing  with  a  roar  over 
rocks  and  through  gorges,  sometimes  plunging  down  preci- 
pices, and  sometimes  moving  with  a  deep  and  sluggish  cur- 
rent across  a  broad  sweep  of  table  land.  For  several  miles 
back  of  the  lake,  and  until  a  few  rods  of  the  shore,  it  is  a 
calm,  deep  river.  It  then  'rushes  down  a  steep,  shelving 


A  LAWSUIT   AND   A   COMPROMISE.  4:7 

rock  some  twenty  feet  into  a  great  rocky  basin  ;  then  down 
again  over  a  shelving  rock  in  a  fall  of  twenty  feet  into 
another  rocky  basin  ;  and  then  again  in  another  fall  of 
twenty  or  thirty  feet,  over  a  steep,  shelving  rock,  shooting 
with  a  swift  current  far  out  into  the  lake.  These  falls  con- 
stitute a  beautiful  cascade,  and  their  roar  may  be  heard  of 
a  calm,  summer  evening,  for  miles  out  on  the  placid  water. 

"  At  the  foot  of  these  falls,  in  the  summer  season,  the  trout 
congregate  ;  beautiful  large  fellows,  from  one  to  three 
pounds  in  weight;  and  a  fly  trailed  across  the  current,  or 
over  the  eddies,  just  at  its  outer  edge,  is  a  thing  at  which 
they  are  tolerably  sure  to  rise.  Well,  last  summer,  I  was 
out  that  way  among  the  lakes  that  lie  sleeping  in  beauty, 
and  along  the  streams  that  flow  through  the  old  woods, 
playing  the  savage  and  vagabondizing  in  a  promiscuous 
way.  The  river  was  low,  and  a  broad  rock,  smooth  and 
bare,  sloping  gently  to  the  water's  edge,  under  which  the 
stream  whirled  as  it  entered  the  lake,  and  above  which  tall 
trees  towered,  casting  over  it  a  pleasant  shade,  presented  a 
tempting  place  to  throw  the  fly.  I  cast  over  the  current, 
and  trailed  along  towards  the  edge  of  the  rock,  when  a 
three-pounder  rose  from  his  place  down  in  the  deep  water. 
He  didn't  come  head  foremost,  nor  glancing  upward,  but 
rose  square  up  to  the  surface,  and  pausing  a  single  instant, 
darted  forward  like  an  arrow  and  seized  the  fly.  Well, 
away  he  plunged  with  the  hook  in  his  jaw,  bending  my  elas- 
tic rod  like  a  reed,  the  reel  hissing  as  the  line  spun  away 
eighty  or  a  hundred  feet  across  the  current,  and  far  out 


4:8  A  LAWSUIT  AND  A  COMPEOMI8E. 

into  the  lake;  but  he  was  fast,  and  after  straggling  for  a 
time,  he  partially  surrendered,  and  I  reeled  him  in.  Slowly, 
and  with  a  sullen  struggling,  he  was  drawn  towards  the 
shore,  sometimes  with  his  head  out  of  water,  and  sometimes 
diving  towards  the  bottom.  At  last,  he  caught  sight  of  me, 
and  with  renewed  energy  he  plunged  away  again,  clear  across 
the  current  and  out  into  the  lake.  But  the  tension  of  the 
elastic  rod  working  against  him  steadily,  and  always,  was 
too  much  for  his  strength,  and  again  I  reeled  him  in,  strug- 
gling still,  though  faintly.  Slowly,  but  steadily,  I  reeled 
him  to  my  hand.  He  was  just  by  the  edge  of  the  rock, 
almost  within  reach  of  my  landing  net,  when,  with  a  last 
desperate  effort  to  escape,  he  plunged  towards  the  bottom, 
made  a  dive  under  the  rock,  the  line  came  against  its  edge, 
slipped  gratingly  for  a  moment,  snapped,  and  the  fish  was 
gone.  He  was  a  beautiful  trout,  and  beautifully  he  played. 
He  deserved  freedom  on  account  of  the  energy  with  which 
he  struggled  for  it, 

"You  will  see,  therefore,  that,  as  I  said,  I  was  in  a 
dilemma.  The  action  against  me  was  well  brought.  I 
could  not  deny  the  truth  of  the  facts  charged  against  me 
in  the  complaint.  In  this  position  of  affairs,  three  alterna- 
tives presented  themselves;  first,  a  denial  of  the  truth  of 
the  complaint,  but  that  involved  perjury;  secondly,  admis- 
sion of  the  facts  charged,  but  that  involved  conviction; 
and,  thirdly,  a  compromise,  and  the  latter  one  I  adopted. 

" '  Can't  this  thing  be  settled,'  said  I,  to  the  old  lawyer 
fish  of  the  St.  Lawrence,  '  without  litigation  ?' 


A   LAWSUIT   AND   A   COMPROMISE.  49 

"  The  old  rascal's  eyes  glistened,  for  he  saw  through  my 
case  in  a  moment.  '  Of  course  it  can,'  said  he  j  '  throw 
me  and  my  four  companions  overboard,  place  us  in  statu 
quo,  and  the  action  shall  be  discontinued.' 

"  '  Agreed,'  said  I,  and  I  reached  down  to  enter  upon  the 
performance  of  my  part  of  the  contract. 

" '  Wait  a  moment,'  said  he,  curling  up  his  shaky  tail, 
'  the  costs — who  pays  the  costs  ?' 

" '  The  costs!'  I  replied,  '  each  pays  his  own,  of  course.' 

"'Not  so  fast,'  he  exclaimed,  'not  quite  so  fast.  You 
must,  pay  the  costs,  or  the  suit  goes  on.' 

"  There  was  something  human  in  the  tenacity  with  which 
that  old  'lawyer'  clung  to  the  idea  of  costs.  There  he 
was  gasping  for  breath,  his  life  depending  upon  the  result 
of  the  negotiation,  and  still  he  insisted  upon  the  payment 
of  costs  as  a  condition  of  compromise." 

"  Probably  out  of  regard  for  the  interest  of  his  client," 
said  Spalding,  gravely;  "  but  proceed  with  the  case." 

" '  Fisherman,'  said  I,"  resumed  the  Doctor,  " '  what  is  the 
cost  of  these  five  lawyers  ?  How  much  for  the  fee  simple  of 
the  lot  ?' 

"  '  They  ain't  worth  but  ninepence,'  he  replied. 

"  '  Good,'  said  I,  '  here's  a  shilling,  York  currency.'  . 

" '  Agreed,'  said  he,  and  threw  in  a  sucker,  by  way  of 
change. 

"  '  Anything  more  ?'  I  asked  of  the  old  cormorant  lawyer. 

"  '  No,'  he  replied;  '  all  right — so  toss  us  overboard,  and 
oe  quick,  for  my  'breath  is  getting  a  little  short.' 

3 


50  A   LAWSUIT   AND   A   COMPROMISE. 

"  I  threw  them  over,  one  at  a  time,  the  old  fellow  last,  and 
as  he  slipped  from  my  hand  into  the  river,  he  thrust  his 
ugly  face  out  of  the  water,  and  said,  coolly,  '  Good  morn- 
ing! When  you  come  our  way  again,  drop  in.' 

"'No,'  said  I,  Til  drop  a  line.'  I  remembered  how  I 
'dropped  in,'  over  on  Long  Lake,  one  day,  and  had  no 
inclination  to  drop  in  to  the  St.  Lawrence,  especially  when 
there  are  old  lawyer  fishes  there  to  summon  me  for  assault 
and  battery  on  a  "  Shatagee  trout.' " 

"  Doctor,"  said  Hank  Martin,  one  of  our  boatmen,  who 
had  been  listening  to  the  Doctor's  narrative,  "  I  don't  want 
to  be  considered  for'ard  or  sassy,  but  I'd  like  to  know  how 
much  of  these  kinds  of  stories  we  hired  folks  are  obligated 
to  believe  ?" 

"  Well,"  replied  the  Doctor,  "  there  are  three  of  you  in 
all,  and  between  you,  you  must  make  up  a  reasonable  case, 
as  Spalding  would  say,  of  faith  in  everything  you.  may  hear. 
This  you  may  do  by  dividing  it  up  among  you." 

"Very  good,"  said  Martin,  with  imperturbable  gravity; 
"  I  only  wanted  a  fair  understanding  of  the  matter  on  the 
start." 


CHAPTER  V. 

A  FRIGHTENED  ANIMAL TROLLING  FOR  TROUT — THE  BOAT- 

MAN'S  STORY. 

WE  sat  in  front  of  onr  tents,  enjoying  the  delightful 
breeze  that  swept  quietly  over  the  lake,  and  watching  the 
stars  as  they  stole  out  from  the  depths.  The  whippoorwill 
piped  away  in  the  old  forests,  and  the  frogs  bellowed  like 
ten  thousand  buffaloes  along  the  shore.  The  roar  of  their 
hoarse  voices  went  rolling  over  the  lake,  through  the  old 
woods,  and  surging  up  against  the  mountains  to  be  thrown 
back  by  the  echoes  that  dwell  among  the  hills.  We  had 
knocked  the  ashes  from  our  pipes,  and  were  about  retiring 
to  our  tents  for  the  night,  when  a  long  wake  in  the  water 
across  the  line  of  the  moon's  reflection,  attracted  our  atten- 
tion. It  was  evidently  made  by  some  animal  swimming, 
and  the  Doctor  and  Martin  started  in  pursuit.  It  proved 
to  be  a  deer  which  was  apparently  making  its  way  to  an 
island,  midway  across  the  lake.  They  had  no  desire  to 
slaughter  it,  and  they  concluded  to  drive  it  ashore  where 

*  61 


52  A   FRIGHTENED   ANIMAL. 

we  were.  They  headed  it  in  the  proper  direction,  and 
followed  the  terrified  animal  as  it  swam  for  life  towards 
the  island  on  which  we  were  encamped.  We  understood 
their  purpose,  and  sat  perfectly  silent.  The  deer  struck  the 
island  directly  in  front  of  our  tent,  and  dashed  forward  in 
wild  affright,  right  through  the  midst  of  us,  towards  the 
thicket  in  our  rear,  glad  to  be  rid  of  his  pursuers  on  the 
water.  As  he  bounded  past  us,  we  sprang  up  and  shouted, 
and  if  ever  a  dumb  animal  was  astonished  it  was  that  deer. 
He  leaped  up  a  dozen  feet  into  the  air,  bleated  out  in  the 
extremity  of  his  terror,  and  plunged  madly  forward,  as  if  a 
whole  legion  of  fiends  were  at  his  tail;  The  stag  hounds 
which  were  tied  to  a  sapling,  by  their  fierce  baying,  added 
vigor  to  his  flight.  We  heard  his  snort  at  every  bound 
across  the  island,  and  his  plunge  into  the  lake  on  the  other 
side. 

In  the  morning  we  sent  forward  our  boatman  with  the 
tents  and  baggage  to  an  island  on  the  Upper  Saranac,  and 
coasted  this  pleasant  little  lake.  On  the  right,  as  you 
approach  the  head,  is  a  deep  bay,  skirted  by  a  natural  mea- 
dow, where  the  rank  wild  grass,  and  the  pond  lilies  that 
grow  along  the  shore  furnish  a  rich  pasture  for  the  deer. 
We  saw  several  feeding  quietly  like  sheep,  on  the  little 

• 

plain  and  upon  the  lily  pads  in  the  edge  of  the  water.  We 
paddled  silently  to  within  a  dozen  rods  of  them,  when,  as 

M 

they  discovered  us,  they  dashed  snorting  and  whistling 
away. 

On  the  right  of  this  meadow,  and  among  the  tall  forest 


TROLLING   FOE   TROUT.  53 

trees  are  great  boulders  which,  piled  up  and  partly  obscured 
by  the  undergrowth,  resemble  from  the  lake  the  massive 
ruins  of  some  ancient  fortification.  We  landed  by  a  spring, 
which  came  bubbling  up  from  beneath  one  of  these  great 
moss-covered  rocks,  to  lunch.  It  was  a  pleasant  spot,  and 
while  we  sat 'there  dozens  of  small  birds,  of  the  size  and 
general  appearance  of  the  cuckoo,  save  in  their  hooked 
beaks,  attracted  by  the  scent  of  our  cold  meats,  came  hop- 
ping tamely  about  on  the  lower  limbs  of  the  forest  trees 
around  us.  They  were  called  by  our  boatmen,  "  meat 
hawks,"  and  have  less  fear  of  man  than  any  wild  birds  that 
I  have  ever  seen.  . 

We  crossed  the  carrying  place  of  a  quarter  of  a  mile 
around  the  rapids,  in  which  distance  the  river  falls  some 
sixty  feet,  roaring  and  tumbling  down  ledges  and  boiling  in 
mad  fury  around  boulders.  We  entered  the  Upper  Saranac 
at  the  hour  appointed,  and  found  our  tents  pitched  and  a 
dinner  of  venison  and  trout  awaiting  us  on  the  island 
selected  for  our  encampment. 

As  the  sun  sank  behind  the  hills,  the  breeze  died  away, 
and  the  lake  lay  without  a  ripple  around  us,  so  calm,  so 
smooth,  and  still,  that  it  seemed  to  have  sunk  quietly  to 
sleep  in  its  forest  bed.  The  fish  were  jumping  in  every 
direction,  and  while  the  rest  of  us  sat  smoking  our  meer- 
schaums after  dinner,  or  rather  supper,  Smith  rigged  his 
trolling  rod,  and  having  caught  half  a  dozen  minnows,  he 
with  Martin,  rowed  out  upon  the  water  to  troll  for  the 
lake  trout.  These  are  a  very  different  fish  from  the 


54:  TROLLING  FOB   TROUT. 

speckled  trout  of  the  streams  and  rivers.  They  had  none 
of  the  golden  specks  of  the  latter,  are  of  a  darker  hue,  and 
much  larger.  They  are  dotted  with  brown  spots,  like 
freckles  upon  the  face  of  a  fair-skinned  girl.  They  are 
shorter  too,  in  proportion  to  their  weight  than  the  speckled 
trout.  They  are  caught  in  these  lakes,  weighing  from  three 
to  fifteen  pounds,  and  instances  have  been  known  of  their 
attaining  to  the  weight  of  five  and  twenty.  It  is  an  excit- 
ing sport  to  take  one  of  these  large  fellows  on  a  line  of  two 
hundred  and  fifty  or  three  hundred  feet  in  length.  They 
play  beautifully  when  hooked,  and  it  requires  a  good  deal 
of  coolness  and  skill  to  land  them  safely  in  your  boat.  A 
trolling  rod  for  these  large  fish  should  be  much  stiffer,  and 
stronger  than  those  used  for  the  fly,  on  the*  rivers  and 
streams  ;  and  the  reel  should  be  stronger  and  higher  geared 
than  the  common  fly  reel.  Three  hundred  feet  of  line  are 
necessary,  for  the  fish,  if  he  is  a  large  one,  will  sometimes 
determine  upon  a  long  flight,  and  it  will  not  do  to  exhaust 
your  line  in  his  career.  In  that  case,  he  will  snap  it  like  a 
pack-thread.  An  English  bass  rod  is  the  best,  and  with 
such,  and  a  large  triple  action  reel,  the  largest  fish  of  these 
lakes  may  be  secured. 

Smith  had  trolled  scarcely  a  quarter  of  a  mile,  when  his 
hook  was  struck  by  a  trout,  and  then  commenced  a  strug- 
gle that  was  pleasant  to  witness.  No  sooner  had  the  fish 
discovered  that  the  hook  was  in  his  jaw,  than  away  he 
dashed  towards  the  middle  of  the  lake.  The  rod  was  bent 
into-  a  semicircle,  but  the  game  was  fast ;  with  the  butt 


TROLLING   FOB  TROUT.  55 

firm  between  his  knees  and  his  thumb  pressing  the  reel,  the 
sportsman  gave  him  a  hundred  and  fifty  feet  of  line,  when 
his  efforts  began  to  relax,  and  as  Smith  began  to  reel  him 
in,  a  moment  of  dead  pull,  a  holding  back  like  an  obstinate 
mule  occurred.  The  trout  was  slowly  towed  in  the  direc- 
tion of  the  boat.  Then,  as  if  maddened  by  the  force  which 
impelled  him,  he  dashed  furiously  forward,  the  reel  answer- 
ing to  his  movements  and  the  line  always  taught,  he  rose  to 
the  surface  leaping  clear  from  the  water,  shaking  his  head 
furiously  as  if  to  throw  loose  the  fastenings  from  his  jaw. 
Failing  in  this,  down  he  plunged  fifty  feet  straight  towards 
the  bottom,  making  the  reel  hiss  by  his  mad  efforts  to 
escape.  Still  the  line  was  taught,  pressing  always,  towing 
him  towards  the  boat  at  every  relaxation.  At  last  he  rose 
to  the  surface,  panting  and  exhausted,  permitting  himself  to 
be  towed  almost  without  an  effort,  to  within  twenty  feet  of 
his  captors.  When  he  saw  them,  all  his  fright  and  all  his 
energies  too  seemed  to  be  restored,  and  away  he  dashed, 
sciving  through  the  water  a  hundred  and  fifty  feet  out  into 
the  lake.  But  the  hook  was  in  his  jaw,  and  he  could  not 
escape.  After  half  an  hour  of  beautiful  and  exciting  play, 
he  surrendered  or  was  drowned,  and  Smith  lifted  him  with 
his  landing  net,  a  splendid  ten-pound  trout,  into  his  boat. 
By  this  time  the  shadows  of  twilight  were  gathering  over 
the  lake,  and  he  came  ashore.  A  proud  man  was  Smith,  as 
he  lifted  that  fish  from  the  boat  and  handed  it  over  to  the 
cook  to  be  dressed  for  breakfast,  and  though  we  had  seen 
the  whole  performance  from  our  tents,  yet  he  gave  .us  iu 


56  THE  BOATMAN'S  STORY. 

glowing  and  graphic  detail  the  history  of  his  taking  that 
ten-pound  trout. 

"  Captain,"  said  Hank  Wood,  who  had  been  quietly  whit- 
ling  out  a  new  set  of  tent  pins,  addressing  Smith,  "  you  had 
a  good  time  of  it  with  that  trout,  but  it  was  nothing  to  an 
adventer  of  mine  with  an  old  mossy-back,  on  this  lake,  five 
year  ago  this  summer." 

"  How  was  that  ?"  inquired  Smith  ;  and  we  all  gathered 
around  to  hear  Hank  Wood's  story. 

"  I  don't  know  how  it  is,"  he  began,  as  he  seated  himself 
on  the  log  in  front  of  the  tents,  with  one  leg  hanging  down, 
and  the  other  drawn  up  with  the  heel  of  his  boot  caught 
on  a  projection  in  the  bark,  his  knee  almost  even  with  his 
nose,  and  his  fingers  locked  across  his  shin,  "  I  don't  know 
exactly  why,  but  the  catching  of  that  trout  makes  me  think 
of  an  adventer  I  had  on  this  very  lake,  five  year  ago  this 
summer.  It  is  curious  how  things  will  lay  around  in  a  man's 
memory,  every  now  and  then  startin'  up  and  presentin'  them- 
selves, ready  to  be  talked  about — reeled  off — as  it  were,  and 
then  how  quietly  they  coil  themselves  away,  to  lay  there, 
till  some  new  sight,  or  sound,  or  idea,  or  feelin'  stirs  'em 
into  life,  and  they  come  up  again  fresh  and  plain  as  ever. 
Some  people  talk  about  forgotten  things,  but  I  don't  believe 
that  any  matter  that  gets  fairly  anchored  in  a  man's  mind,  can 
ever  be  forgotten,  until  age  has  broken  the  power  of  memory. 
It  is  there,  and  will  stay  there,  in  spite  of  the  ten  thousand 
other  things  that  get  piled  in  on  top  of  it,  and  some  day  it 
will  come  popping  out  like  a  cork,  just  as  good  and  distinct 


THE  BOATMAN'S  STORY.  57 

as  new.  But  I  was  talkin'  about  an  adventer  I  had  with  a  ' 
trout,  five  year  ago,  here  on  the  the  Upper  Saranac.  I  was 
livin'  over  on  the  Au  Sable  then,  and  came  over  to  these 
parts  to  spend  a  week  or  so,  and  lay  in  a  store  of  jerked 
venison  and  trout  for  the  winter.  I  broughi^mg  a  bag  of 
salt,  and  two  or  three  kegs  that  would  hold  a  hundred  pound 
or  so  apiece,  and  filled  'em  too  with  as  beautiful  orange- 
meated  fellows  as  you'd  see  in  a  day's  drive.  The  trout  were 
plentier  than  they  are  now.  They  hadn't  been  fished  by  all 
the  sportin'  men  in  creation,  and  they  had  a  chance  to  grow 
to  their  nateral  size.  You  wouldn't  in  them  days  row 
across  any  of  these  lakes  in.  the  trollin'  season  without 
hitchin'  on  to  an  eight,  or  ten,  and  now  and  then  to  a  twenty- 
pounder. 

"  Wai,  I  was  on  the  Upper  Saranac,  up  towards  the  head 
of  the  lake,  ten  or  twelve  miles  from  here,  trollin'  with  an 
old-fashioned  line,  about  as  big  as  a  pipe  stem,  a  hundred 
and  fifty  feet  long,  and  a  hook  to  match.  Nobody  in  them 
days  tho't  of  sich  contrivances  as  trollin'-rods,  reels,  and 
minny-gangs.  You  held  your  lines  in  your  fingers,  and  when 
you  hooked  a  fish,  you  drew  him  in,  hand  over  hand,  in  a 
human  way.  It  was  in  the  latter  part  of  June,  and  the  way 
the  black  flies  swarmed  along  the  shore,  was  a  thing  to  set 
anybody  a  scratchin'  that  happened  to  be  around.  It  was  a 
clear  still  mornin',  and  the  sun  as  he  went  up  into  the 
heavens,  blazed  away,  and  as  he  walked  across  the  sky,  if 
he  didn't  pour  down  his  heat  like  a  furnace,  I  wouldn't  say 
so.  I  had  tolerable  good  luck  in  the  forenoon,  and  landed 

3* 


58  THE  BOATMAN'S  STOKY. 

*  on  a  rocky  island  to  cook  dinner.  I  made  such  a  meal  as  a 
hnngry  man  makes  when  he's  out  all  alone  fishin'  and  hunt- 
in'  about  these  waters,  and  started  off  across  the  lake,  with 
my  trollin'  line  to  the  length  of  a  hundred  feet  or  more, 
draggin'  tliMpjh  the  water  behind  me.  The  breeze  had 
freshened  a  little,  and  my  boat  drifted  about  fast  enough 
for  trollin',  and  feelin'  a  little  drowsy,  I  tied  the  end  of  the 
line  to  the  cleets  across  the  knees  of  the  boat,  and  lay  down 
in  the  bottom  with  my  hand  out  over  the  side  holdin'  the 
line.  I  hadn't  laid  there  long,  when  I  felt  a  twitch  as  if 
something  mighty  big  was  medlin'  with  the  other  end  of  the 
string.  I  started  up  and  undertook  to  pull  in,  but  you 
might  as  well  undertake  to  drag  an  elephant  with  a  thread. 
I  couldn't  move  him  a  hair.  Pretty  soon  the  boat  began  to 
move  up  the  lake  in  a  way  1  didn't  at  all  like.  At  first  it 
went  may  be  three  miles  an  hour,  then  five,  ten,  twenty, 
forty,  sixty  miles  the  hour,  round  and  round  the  lake,  as  if 
hurled  along  by  a  million  of  locomotives.  We  went  skiving 
around  among  the  islands,  into  the  bays,  along  the  shore, 
away  out  across  the  lake,  crossing  and  re-crossing  in  every 
direction  ;  and  if  there's  a  place  about  this  lake  we  didn't 
visit,  I  should  like  to  have  somebody  tell  me  where  it  is. 
You  may  think  it  made  my  hair  stand  out  some,  to  find  my- 
self flyin'  about  like  a  strealc  of  chain  lightnin',  and  to  see 
the  trees  and  rocks  flyin'  like  mad  the  other  way.  I  tried 
to  untie  the  line,  but  it  was  drawn  into  a  knot  so  hard,  that 
the  old  Nick  himself  couldn't  move  it.  I  looked  for  my  knife 
to  cut  it,  but  it  had,  somehow,  got  overboard  ia  our  flight, 


THE  BOATMAN'S  STOBY.  59 

besides  flyin'  about  at  the  rate  of  sixty  mile  an  hour,  kept 
a  fellow  pretty  busy  holdin'  on,  keepin'  his  place  in  the 
boat. 

"  After  an  hour  or  two  we  came  to  a  pause,  and  the  old 
feller  that  was  .towin'  me  about,  walked  uivtp  the  surface, 
and  stickin'  his  head  out  of  the  water,  Mjood  morninV 
says  he,  in  a  very  perlite  sort  of  way.  '  Good  mornin',' 
says  I,  back  again.  '  Haw  goes  it  ?'  says  he.  '  All  right,' 
says  I.  '  Step  this  way  and  FH  take  the  hod"!  out  of  your 
gums.'  '  Thank  you  for  nothing,'  says  he,  and  he  opened 
his  mouth  like  the  entrance  to  a  railroad  tunnel,  and  blame 
me,  if  he  hadn't  taken  a  double  hitch  of  the  line  around 
his  eye  tooth,  while  the  hook  hung  harmless  beside  hia 
jaw. 

"  '  I've  a  little  business  down  in  the  lower  lake,"  says  he, 
1  and  must  be  movin','  and  away  he  bolted  like  a  steam  en- 
gine, down  the  lake.  When  he  straightened  up,  my  hat 
flew  more  than  sixty  yards  behind  me,  and  the  way  I  came 
down  into  the  bottom  of  the  boat  was  anything  but  plea- 
sant. Away  we  tore  down  towards  the  outlet,  the  boat 
cuttin'  and  plowin'  through  the  water,  pilin'  it  up  in  great 
furrows  ten  feet  high  on  each  side.  There  is,  as  you  know, 
sixty  feet  fall  between  the  Upper  Saranac  and  Eound  Lake, 
and  the  river  goes  boilin'  and  roarin',  tumblin'  and  heavin' 
down  the  rapids  and  over  the  rocks,  pitchin'  in  some  places 
square  down  a  dozen  feet  among  the  boulders.  No  sensible 
man  would  think  of  travellin'  that  road  in  a  little  craft  like 
mine,  unless  he'd  made  up  his  mind  to  see  how  it  would 


60  THE  BOATMAN'S  STORY. 

seem  to  be  drowned,  or  smashed  to  pieces  agin  the  rocks. 
But  right  down  the  rapids  we  went,  swifter  than  an  eagle  in 
his  stoop,  down  over  the  boilin'  eddies,  down  over  the  foam- 
in'  surge,  down  the  perpendicular  falls,  as  if  the  old  Nick 
himself  was  kickin'  us  on  end.  How  we  got  down  I  won't 
undertake  to  say,  but  when  I  got  breath  and  looked  out 
over  the  side  of  the  boat  I  saw  the  old  woods  and  rocks 
along  the  shore  below  the  falls,  rushin'  up  stream  like  a  race- 
horse. * 

"  Wai,  we  entered  Round  Lake,  crossed  it  in  five  minutes, 
and  down  the  river  we  rushed  over  the  little  falls  at  a  bound, 
and  into  the  Lower  Saranac.  I'd  got  a  little  used  to  it  by 
this  time,  and  though  it  was  mighty  hard  work  to  catch  my 
breath  in  such  a  wind  as  we  made  by  our  flight,  yet  I  ma- 
naged to  sit  up  and  look  around  me.  It  was  curious  to  see 
how  the  islands  on  the  Lower  Saranac  danced  about,  and 
how -the  shores  ran  away  behind  while  I  was  looking  at 
'em  ;  and  how  the  forest  trees  dodged,  and  whirled,  and 
jumped  about  one  another,  as  we  tore  along.  After  tearin' 
about  the  lake  a  spell,  we  came  to  something  like  a  halt, 
and  old  Mossyback  stuck  his  head  out  of  water,  and  openin' 
his  great  glassy  eyes  like  the  moon  in  a  mist,  '  How  do  you 
like  that  ?'  said  he,  in  a  jeerin'  sort  of  way.  '  All  right,' 
said  I ;  '  go  it  while  you're  young.'  I  didn't  care  about 
appearin'  skeered  or  uneasy,  but  I'd  have  given  a  couple  of 
month's  wages  just  then,  to  have  been  on  dry  land.  '  Well,' 
said  he,  '  I  guess  we'll  be  gittin'  towards  home.'  And  away 
he  started  for  the  Upper  Saranac,  and  up  the  river,  across 


THE  BOATMAN'S  STOET.  61 

Kound  Lake,  and  right  up  over  the  rapids  we  went.  Two 
or  three  times  I  made  up  my  mind  that  I  was  a  goner,  as 
the  water  piled  up  around  me  along  over  the  falls  ;  but 
somehow  our  very  speed  made  our  boat  glance  upward  at 
such  tunes,  and  skim  along  the  surface  like  a  duck.  We 
went  boundin'  from  hillock  to  hillock,  on  the  mad  waters, 
till  we  entered  the  broad  lake  and  went  skiving  about  again 
among  the  islands. 

"  All  at  once  he  seemed  to  take  a  notion  to  go  down  to- 
wards the  bottom  ;  so  shortenin'  the  line  some  fifty  foot  or 
more,  he  hoisted  his  great  tail  straight  up  towards  the  sky, 
and  down  he  went,  the  boat  standing'  up  on  eend,  and  some- 
how the  waters  didn't  seem  to  close  above  us,  so  rapid  was 
our  descent.  It  was  tight  work,  as  you  may  guess,  to  hold  on 
under  such  circumstances,  but  I  managed  to  keep  my  place. 
How  deep  we  went  I  wont  undertake  to  say,  but  this  much 
is  quite  sartin,  we  went  down  so  far  that  I  couldn't  see  out  at 
the  hole  we  went  in  at.  There  are  some  mighty  big  fish 
away  down  in  them  parts,  you  may  bet  your  life  on  that ; 
trout  that  it  wouldn't  be  pleasant  to  handle. 

"  By-and-bye  we  started  for  daylight  again.  The  fish  had 
to  stand  out  of  the  way  as  we  rushed  like  an  express  train 
towards  the  surface  ;  them  that  didn't  we  made  a  smash  of. 
One  bull  head,  I  remember,  about  twice  as  long  as  one  of 
our  boats  wasn't  quick  enough  ;  the  bow  of  the  boat  struck 
him  about  in  the  middle  and  cut  him  in  two  like  a  knife. 
One  old  trout  seemed  to  have  made  up  his  mind  for  a  fight, 


62  .THE  BOATMAN'S  BTOBT. 

and  he  chased  us  more  than  two  miles  with  his  jaws  open 
like  a  great  pair  of  clamps,  as  if  he'd  a  mind  to  swallow  us 
boat  and  all,  and  from  the  size  of  the  openin',  I'm  bold  to 
say  he'd  a  done  it  too,  if  he'd  have  caught  us  ;  but  as  we 
rounded  an  island,  he  run  head  foremost,  jam  against  a 
rock.  That  kind  o'  stunned  him,  and  he  gave  in. 

"Wai,  after  we  got  to  the  surface,  the  trout  that  was 
towin'  me,  seemed  to  let  on  an  extra  amount  of  steam  for  a 
mile  or  so,  and  let  me  say  the  way  we  went  was  a  caution. 
I've  travelled  on  the  cars  in  my  day,  when  they  made  every 
thing  gee  again,  but  that  kind  o'goin'  wasn't  a  circumstance 
to  the  way  we  tore  along.  The  water  rose  up  on  either 
hand  more  than  twenty  feet,  and  went  roarin',  and  tumblin', 
and  hissin',  as  if  everything  was  goin'  to  smash.  All  at 
once  the  line  was  thrown  loose,  and  the  boat  went  straight 
ahead  bows  on,  to  one  of  the  small  islands  up  towards  the 
head  of  the  lake,  and  when  she  struck,  I  went  through  the 
air  eend  over  eend,  clear  across  the  island,  more  than  fifteen 
rods,  ca-splash  into  the  lake  on  the  other  side. 

"  Human  nater  couldn't  stand  all  that,  so  startin'  up  I 
found  that  while  I'd  been  layin'  in  the  bottom  of  the  boat  the 
wind  had  ris,  and  was  blowin'  a  stiff  gale.  The  boat  had 
drifted  across  the  lake  and  had  struck  broadside  agin  the 
shore,  and  the  waves  were  makin'  a  clean  breach  into  her  at 
every  surge.  I  soon  got  her,  head  on  to  the  waves,  and 
feelin'  something  mighty  lively  at  the  other  eend  of  the  line, 
hauled  in  a  twelve-pounder." 


THE  BOATMAN'S  BTORY.  63 

"  Pshaw  1"  exclaimed  one  of  the  audience  ;  "  you've  only 
been  telling  a  dream,  in  this  long  yarn,  we've  been  listen- 
ing to." 

"  Wai,"  replied  the  narrator ;  "  some  people  that  I've 
told  it  to,  have  suspicioned  that  it  might  be  so  ;  but  every 
thing  about  it  seemed  so  nateral,  that  I'm  ahnost  ready  to 
make  my  affidavy  that  it  was  sober  fact.  One  thing,  how- 
ever, I  always  had  my  doubts  about :  I  never  fully  believed, 
that  I  was  actually  pitched  over  that  island.  I've  hearn  it 
said  that  when  a  man  has  eaten  a  hearty  dinner,  and  goes 
to  sleep  with  the  hot  sun  pourin'  right  down  on  him,  he's 
apt  to  see  and  hear  a  good  many  strange  things  before  he 
wakes  up.  May  be  it  was  so  with  me." 


CHAPTER   VI. 

THE  UPPER  SARANAC — SPECTACLE  PONDS — THE  ACCUSATION  AND 
THE  DEFENCE — AN  OCTOGENARIAN  SMOKER. 

WE  spent  the  next  day  in  rowing  about  the  Upper  Sara- 
nac,  exploring  its  beautiful  bays  and  islands.  We  took  as 
many  trout  in  trolling  occasionally,  as  we  needed  for  dinner 
and  supper.  It  became  an  established  law  among  us,  that 
we  should  kill  no  more  game  or  fish  than  we  needed  for  sup- 
plies, whatever  their  abundance  or  our  temptation  might  be. 
It  required  some  self-denial  to  observe  this  law,  but  we  kept 
it  with  tolerable  strictness.  There  were  times  when  we  had 
a  large  supply  of  both  venison  and  fish,  but  there  were  seven 
men  of  us  in  all,  and  we  could  despose  of  a  good  deal  of 
flesh  and  fish  in  the  twenty-four  hours.  We  had  sent  our 
boat  with  the  luggage  across  the  Indian  carrying  place,  a 
path  of  a  mile  through  the  forest,  to  the  Spectacle  Ponds, 
three  little  lakes,  from  which  a  stream,  known  as  Stony 
Brook,  rises.  This  stream  is  navigable  for  small  boats  like 
ours,  five  miles  to  the  Rackett  River.  These  lakes  contain 

64 


SPECTACLE   PONDS.  65 

from  a  hundred  to  a  hundred  and  fifty  acres  each.  At  the 
head  of  the  Upper  Pond  is  a  beautiful  cold  spring,'  near 
which,  upon  crossing  the  carrying  place,  at  evening,  we  found 
our  tents  pitched.  We  arrived  here  about  sundown,  some- 
what wearied  with  our  day's  excursion,  and  with  appetites 
fully  equal  to  a  plentiful  supper  which  was  soon  in  rea- 
diness for  us. 

"  You  are  getting  me  into  a  bad  habit,  spoiling  my  mo- 
rals in  a  physical  sense,"  said  Smith,  addressing  us  as  we  sat 
after  supper  around  our  camp-fire  ;  "  I  find  myself  taking  to 
the  pipe  out  here,  in  these  old  woods,  with  a  relish  I  never 
have  at  home.  It  seems  to  agree  with  me  here,  and  I  ex- 
pect by  the  tune  I  get  back  to  civilization,  I  shall  be  as 
great  a  smoker  as  the  Doctor  or  Spalding.  If  I  do,  I  shall 
have  to  pay  -for  it  by  indigestion  and  hypochondria,  things 
that  you  of  the  fat  kine,  know  nothing  about." 

"  Well,"  replied  the  Doctor,  "  You  will  only  have  to  call 
on  me  as  you  did  last  month,  and  then  send  for  Spalding  to 
draw  your  will,  as  you  did  the  next  day,  when  you  were  as 
well  as  I  am,  excepting  that  kink  in  your  head  about  your 
going  to  die." 

"  Why,  the  truth  is,"  retorted  Smith,  "  I  had  made  up  my 
mind,  after  twelve  hours  consideration,  to  take  the  medicine 

you  left,  and  I  appeal  to  H here,  if  it  was  after  that, 

anything  more  than  a  reasonable  precaution  to  be  prepared 
for  any  contingency  that  might  happen.  Your  medicines, 
Doctor,  and  the  testamentary  disposition  of  a  man's  worldly 
effects,  are  very  natural  associations." 


66       THE  ACCUSATION  AND  THE  DEFENCE. 

"  Very  well,"  said  the  Doctor  ;  "  you'll  send  for  me  again 
in  a  month  after  our  return,  and  in  that  case,  it  may  be, 
that  the  money  you  paid  Spalding  for  drawing  your  will, 
will  not  have  been  thrown  away.  But  in  regard  to  the  use 
of  the  pipe  ;  I  propose  that  we  call  upon  Spalding,  for 
a  legal  opinion,  or  an  argument  in  its  favor.  It's  his  busi- 
ness to  defend  criminals,  and  I  file  an  accusation  against 
smoking  generally,  excepting,  however,  from  the  indictments 
the  use  of  the  pipe,  as  in  some  sort  a  necessity,  on  all  such 
excursions  as  ours." 

"  I  shall  not  undertake,"  said  Spalding,  "  to  enter  into 
a  labored  defence  of  the  use  of  tobacco  in  any  form.  I 
only  move  for  a  mitigation  of  punishment,  and  will  state  the 
circumstances  upon  which  I  base  my  appeal  to  the  clemency 
of  the  court.  The  exception  in  the  indictment,  enables  me 
to  avoid  the  plea  of  necessity,  which  I  should  have  inter- 
posed, founded  upon  a  huge  forest  meal,  and  the  abundance 
as  well  as  impertinence  of  the  musquitoes  of  these  woods." 

"  I  called  the  other  day  upon  a  venerable  friend  and  client, 
who  is  travelling  the  down  hill  of  life  quietly,  and  though 
with  the  present  summer  he  will  have  accomplished  his  three 
score  years  and  ten,  his  voice  is  as  cheerful,  and  his  heart 
as  young,  as  they  were  decades  ago,  when  his  manhood  was 
in  the  glory  and  strength  of  its  prime.  I  found  him  sitting 
in  his  great  awn-chair,  smoking  his  accustomed  pipe,  reading 
the  evening  papers.  He  seemed  to  be  so  calm,  and  happy, 
as  the  smoke  went  wreathing  up  from  his  lips,  that  I  could 
not  for  the  moment  refrain  from  envying  the  calmness  and 


AN  OCTOGENABIAH  BMOKEE.  67 

repose  which  were  visible  all  around  him.  He  has  smoked 
his  morning  and  evening  pipe,  in  his  quiet  way,  for  nearly 
half  a  century.  When  engaged  in  the  active  business  of 
life,  struggling  with  its  cares,  and  fighting  its  battles,  he 
always  took  half  an  hour  in  the  morning,  and  as  long  at 
evening,  to  smoke  his  pipe  and  read  the  news  of  the  day. 
He  scarcely  ever,  when  at  home,  under  any  pressure  of  cir- 
cumstances omitted  these  two  half  hours  of  repose,  or  as 
his  excellent  wife  used  to  say,  of  '  fumigation.'  She  passed 
to  her  rest  years  ago,  leaving  behind  her  the  pleasant 
odor  of  a  good  name,  a  memory  cherished  by  all  who 
knew  her. 

"  Men  denounce  the  use  of  tobacco,  and  I  do  not  quarrel 
with  them  for  doing  so.  Say  that  it  is  a  vile  and  a  filthy 
habit ;  be  it  so,  I  will  not  now  stop  to  deny  it.  Say  that  it 
is  bad  for  the  constitution,  ruinous  to  the  health  ;  be  it  so. 
I  will  not  gainsay  it.  Still  I  never  see  an  old  man,  seated 
in  his  great  arm  chair,  with  his  grandchildren  playing 
around  him,  smoking  his  pipe  and  enjoying  its,  to  him,  plea- 
sant perfume,  its  soothing  influences,  without  regarding  that 
same  pipe  as  an  institution  which  I  would  hardly  be  willing 
to  banish  entirely  from  the  world. 

"  There  is  a  good  deal  of  philosophy,  too,  in  a  pipe,  if  one 
will  but  take  the  trouble  to  study  it ;  great  subjects  for 
moralizing,  much  food  for  reflection  ;  and  all  this  outside  of 
the  physical  enjoyment,  the  soothing  influences  of  a  quiet 
pipe,  when  the  day  is  drawing  to  a  close,  and  its  cares 
require  some  gentle  force  to  banish  them  away.  It  does  not 


68  AN   OCTOGENARIAN   SMOKES. 

weaken  the  power  of  thought,  nor  stultify  the  brain.  It 
quiets  the  nerves,  makes  a  man  look  in  charity  upon  the 
world,  and  to  judge  with  a  chastened  lenity  the  short- 
comings of  his  neighbors.  It  reconciles  him  to  his  lot,  and 
sends  him  to  his  pillow,  or  about  his  labors,  with  a  calm 
deliberate  cheerfulness,  very  desirable  to  those  who  come 
under  the  law  that  requires  people  to  earn  their  bread  by 
the  sweat  of  their  brow. 

"  I  said  there  is  a  good  deal  of  philosophy  in  a  pipe,  and 
I  repeat  it.  Who  can  see  the  smoke  go  wreathing  and  curl- 
ing upward  from  his  lips  in  all  sorts  of  fantastic  shapes, 
spreading  out  thinner  and  thinner,  till  it  fades  away  and  is 
lost  among  the  invisible  things  of  the  air,  without  saying  to 
himself,  '  Such  are  the  visions  of  youth  ;  such  the  hopes, 
the  grand  schemes  of  life,  looming  up  in  beautiful  distinct- 
ness before  the  mind's  eye,  growing  fainter  and  fainter  as 
life  wears  away,  and  then  disappearing  forever.  Such  are 
the  things  of  this  life,  beautiful  as  they  appear,  unsubstan- 
tial shadows  all.'  And  then,  as  the  fire  consumes  the  weed, 
exhausting  itself  upon  the  substance  which  feeds  it,  burning 
lower  and  lower,  till  it  goes  out  for  lack  of  aliment,  who 
will  not  be  reminded  of  life  itself  ?  the  animated  form,  the 
body  instinct  with  vitality,  changing  and  changing  as  time 
sweeps  along,  till  the  spirit  that  gave  it  vigor  and  comeli- 
ness, and  power  and  beauty,  is  called  away,  and  it  becomes 
at  last  mere  dust  and  ashes.  And  then  again,  when  the  pipe 
itself  falls  from  the  teeth,  or  the  table,  or  the  mantel,  or  the 
shelf — as  fall  it  surely  will,  sooner  or  later — and  is  broken, 


AN   OCTOGENARIAN   SMOKEK.  69 

and  the  fragments  are  thrown  out  of  the  window,  or  swept 
out  at  the  door,  who  can  fail  to  see  in  this,  the  type  of 
life's  closing  scene  ?  the  body  broken  by  disease  and  death, 
carried  away  and  hidden  in  the  earth,  to  remain  among  the 
useless  rubbish  of  the  past,  to  be  seen  no  more  forever  ? 
Yes,  yes  1  there  is  a  great  deal  of  philosophy  in  a  pipe,  if 
people  will  take  pains  to  study  it. 

"  I  have  a  pleasant  time  of  it  once  or  twice  a  year  with 
an  old  gentleman,  living  away  in  the  country  ;  one  whom 
memory  calls  up  from  the  dim  and  shadowy  twilight  of  my 
earliest  recollections,  as  a  tall  stalwart  man,  already  the 
head  of  a  family  with  little  children  around  him.  Those 
who  were  then  little  children  have  grown  up  to  be  men  and 
women,  and  have  drifted,  away  upon  the  currents  of  life, 
themselves  fathers  and  mothers,  with  grey  hairs  gathering 
upon  their  heads.  I  visit  this  venerable  philosopher  in  his 
hearty  and  green  old  age,  every  summer.  I  see  him  now,  in 
my  mind's  eye,  sitting  under  the  spreading  branches  of  the 
trees  planted  by  himself  half  a  century  ago,  which  cast  their 
shadows  upon  the  pleasant  lawn  in  front  of  his  dwelling — 
discussing  politics,  morals,  history,  religion,  philosophy — 
recounting  anecdotes  of  the  early  settlement  of  the  county 
of  which  he  was  a  pioneer  :  and  I  see  how  calmly  and 
deliberately  he  smokes,  while  he  calls  up  old  memories  from 
the  shadowy  past,  discoursing  wisely  of  the  present,  or 
speaking  prophetically  of  the  future.  I  saw  him  last  in 
July  of  the  past  year,  and  he  seemed  to  have  changed  in 
nothing.  He  had  not  grown  older  in  outward  seeming.  His 


70  AN   OCTOGENANIAN   SMOKER. 

heart  was  as  warm  and  genial  as  it  was  long,  long  ago  ;  and 
cheerfulness,  calm  and  chastened,  marked  as  it  had  for  years 
the  conversation  of  a  man  who  felt  that  his  mission  in  life 
was  accomplished.  'Why,'  said  he,  addressing  me,  as  a  new 
thought  seemed  to  strike  him,  '  why,  your  head  is  growing 
grey  I  I  never  noticed  it  before.  It  is  almost  as  white  as 
mine.  Well,  well !'  he  continued,  as  he  tapped  the  thumb 
nail  of  his  left  hand  with  the  inverted  bowl  of  his  pipe,  knock- 
ing the  ashes  from  it  as  he  spoke,  '  well,  well  I  it  won't  be 
Jong  until  we  will  have  smoked  our  last  pipe.  Mine,  at 
least,  will  soon  be  broken.  But  what  of  that  ?  Seventy- 
eight  years  is  a  long  time  to  live  in  this  world.  I  have 
had  my  share  of  life  and  of  the  good  pertaining  to  it,  and 
shall  have  no  right  to  complain  when  my  pipe  is  broken 
and  its  ashes  scattered.'  Such  was  the  philosophy  of  an 
almost  Octogenarian  smoker." 

"I  move  for  a  suspension  of  sentence,"  said  Smith, 
"  Spalding's  defence  of  the  weed,  induces  me  to  withdraw 
the  indictment  against  it,  leaving  punishment  only  for  the 
excessive  use  of  it." 

The  motion  was  carried  unanimously,  and  by  way  of  con- 
firming the  decision,  we  all  refilled  our  pipes  and  smoked 
till  the  stars  looked  down  in  their  brightness  from  the 
fathomless  depths  of  the  sky. 


CHAPTEE  VII. 

KINKS  ! — "  DIRTY  DOGS  " — THE  BARKING  DOG  THAT  WAS  FOUND 
DEAD  IN  THE  YARD — THE  DOG  THAT  BARKED  HIMSELF  TO 
DEATH. 

"  THE  hallucinations  of  Smith,"  said  Spalding,  after  we 
had  settled  the  matter  of  the  pipes,  and  were  enjoying  a 
fresh  pull  at  the  weed,  "  as  described  by  the  Doctor,  remind 
me  of  a  slight  attack  of  fever  which  I  had  some  months  ago, 
and  from  which  I  recovered  partly  through  the  aid  of  the 
Doctor's  medicine,  and  partly  through  the  kindness  of  a 
young  friend  of  mine  ;  and  of  the  strange  '  kinks/  as  you 
call  them,  which  got  into  my  head  between  the  fever  and 
the  Doctor's  opiates.  Things  were  strangely  mixed  up,  the 
real  and  the  unreal  grouped  and  mingled  in  a  manner  that 
gave  to  all  the  just  proportions  and  appearance  of  sober 
actualities.  I  remember  them  as  distinctly,  and  they  made 
as  deep  and  abiding  impression  upon  my  mind  as  if  I  had 
seen  them  all.  They  are  impressed  as  palpably  and  indeli- 
bly upon  my  memory  now  as  any  actual  events  of  my  life." 

Tl 


72  KINKS! — "DEBTY  DOGS." 

"  Well,"  said  the  Doctor,  "  suppose  you  give  us  one  of 
these  '  kinks/  while  our  pipes  are  being  smoked  out,  as  an 
'  opiate '  to  send  us  all  to  sleep." 

"Be  it  understood,  then,"  Spalding  began,  "that  I  like 
dogs  in  a  general  way.  They  are  plain  dealing,  honest, 
trusty  folk  in  the  aggregate,  albeit,  there  are  what  Tom 
Benton  calls,  'dirty  dogs.'  These,  however,  are  mostly 
human  canines,  dogs  that  walk  on  two  legs,  and  wear  clothes. 
Such  curs  I  don't  like.  But  there  are  such,  and  they  may  be 
seen  and  heard,  barking,  and  snarling,  and  snapping  in  their 
envy,  at  honest  peoples'  heels  every  day.  Let  them  bark. 
Mr.  Benton  was  right.  They  are  '  dirty  dogs.'  But  a  dog 
that  looks  you  honestly  and  frankly  in  the  face,  that  stands 
by  his  master  and  friend,  in  all  times  of  trial,  in  sorrow  as 
in  joy,  in  adversity  as  in  prosperity,  in  dark  days  as  in  bright 
days,  always  cheerful,  always  sincere,  earnest,  and  truthful, 
and  so  that  his  kindness  be  met,  always  happy,  I  like.  He  is 
your  true  nobility  of  nature  below  the  human.  But  there 
are  '  curs  of  low  degree  ;'  dogs  of  neither  genial  instinct  nor 
breeding  ;  senseless  animals,  that  belie  the  noble  nature  of 
their  species,  are  living  libels  upon  their  kind.  There  was 
one  of  these  over  against  my  rooms,  at  the  tune  of  the  sick- 
ness I  speak  of.  I  say  was  for  thanks  to  the  fates,  he  is 
among  the  things  that  have  been ;  he  belongs  to  history, 
has  been  wiped  out. 

"  He  was  a  barking  dog.  When  the  moon  was  in  the  sky, 
he  barked  at  the  moon.  When  only  the  stars  shone  out,  he 
barked  at  the  stars  ;  when  clouds  shut  in  both  moon  and 


THE  BARKING   DOG.  73 

stars,  he  barked  at  the  clouds  ;  and  when  the  darkness  was 
so  deep  and  black  as  to  obscure  even  the  clouds,  he  barked 
at  the  darkness.  Through  all  the  long  night  he  barked, 
barked,  barked  !  It  was  not  a  bark  of  defiance,  nor  of  alarm, 
nor  of  astonishment,  nor  of  warning.  It  was  not  a  note  of 
danger,  breaking  the  hush  of  midnight,  saying  that  thieves 
were  abroad,  that  murder  was  on  its  stealthy  mission, 
or  that  the  wolf  was  on  the  walk.  It  was  a  senseless, 
monotonous,  idiotic  bow,  wow  I  Nothing  more,  nothing 
less. 

-  "  All  Monday  night,  as  I  lay  tossing  upon  a  bed  of  pain, 
when  fever  was  coursing  through  my  veins,  and  every  pulse 
went  plunging  like  a  steam  engine  from  the  gorged  heart 
to  every  extremity,  and  my  brain  was  like  molten  lead,  I 
heard  that  terrible  bark  !  It  was  my  evil  genius,  my  des- 
tiny. It  mingled  in  every  feverish  dream,  became  the 
embodiment  of  every  vision.  I  measured  the  periods  of  its 
recurrence  by  the  clock  that  stands  in  the  corner  of  our 
room.  I  counted  the  tickings  of  its  silence,  and  I  counted 
the  tickings  of  its  continuance.  Every  swing  of  the  pendu- 
lum became  a  distinct  period  of  existence.  Minutes,  hours, 
were  nothing.  Forty-four  tickings,  I  said,  and  that  bow, 
wow  !  will  be  heard  again  1  Fifteen  tickings,  I  said,  and 
it  will  cease  ;  and  so  I  went  on  until  the  hours  seemed  to 
spread  out  into  a  boundless  ocean  of  time.  That  dog  some- 
how became  mixed  up  with  that  old  family  clock  that  stood 
in  the  corner.  I  heard  him  scratching  and  climbing  up 
among  the  weights,  writhing  and  twisting  his  way  among 

4 


74:  THE  BARKING   DOG. 

the  machinery,  till  there,  looking  out  through  the  face  of 
that  old  family  clock,  distinct  and  palpable  as  the  sun  at 
noonday,  or  the  moon  in  a  cloudless  night,  I  saw  the  ogre 
head  of  that  'dog  ;  his  great  glassy,  fishy  eyes,  his  half 
drooping,  half  erect  ears,  his  slavering  jaws,  and  as  he  gazed 
in  a  stupid  meaningless  stare  upon  me,  uttered  his  everlast- 
ing bow,  wow  !  Tell  me  that  the  room  was  dark  ;  that 
not  a  ray  of  light  penetrated  the  closed  doors  or  the  cur- 
tained windows.  What  of  that  ?  That  dog's  head,  I  repeat, 
was  there  ;  I  saw  it,  if  I  ever  saw  the  sun,  the  moon  or  the 
bright  stars.  I  saw  it  staring  at  me  through  all  the  gloom, 
all  the  thick  darkness,  and  I  heard  its  terrible  bow,  wow  ! 
'  Get  out !'  I  shouted  in  horror. 

" '  What's  the  matter  T  cried  my  wife,  springing  up  hi  an 
ecstasy  of  terror. 

" '  Drive  out  that  dog/  I  replied. 

" '  What  dog  ?'  she  inquired. 

" '  There,'  I  replied,  '  that  dog  there,  in  the  clock  with  his 
great  staring,  glassy  eyes  ;  drive  him  out !' 

"  She  lighted  the  gas,  and  as  it  flashed  up,  there  stood 
the  old  clock,  the  pendulum  swung  back  and  forth,  the  tick- 
ing went  on,  and  its  white  old-fashioned  face,  looked  out  in 
calm  serenity;  but  the  dog  was  gone.  It  was  all  natural  as 
life.  The  lighting  of  the  gas  had  frightened  the  cur  back 
to  his  yard,  and  as  the  forty-fourth  tick  ceased,  his  bow, 
wow  !  was  heard  again,  and  it  lasted  while  the  pendulum 
swung  back  and  forth  just  fifteen  times.  I  took  a  cooling 
draft,  and  counted  in  feverish  agony  forty-four,  and  fifteen, 


THE  BARKING   DOG.  75 

till  the  daylight  came  creeping  in  at  the  windows,  filling 
with  sepulchral  greyness  the  room.  The  barking  ceased, 
and  I  slept  only  to  dream  of  snarling  curs  and  '  dirty  dogs ' 
for  an  hour. 

"  Through  all  Tuesday  I  lay  tossing  with  pain.  Fever 
was  in  every  pulse  ;  my  brain  was  seething,  burning  lava. 
I  thought  and  dreamed  of  nothing  but  mangy  curs  and 
'  dirty  dogs.'  The  night  gathered  again,  and  the  rumbling 
of  the  carriages  and  the  thousand  voices  that  break  the 
stillness  of  a  thronged  city,  died  away  into  silence.  The 
lights  were  extinguished,  but  again  that  horrible  bark  ! 
bark  !  broke  the  hush  of  midnight,  and  worse  than  all,  the 
quickened  senses  of  fever  heard  it  answered  from  away  over 
on  Arbor  Hill ;  and  again  away  up  in  State  street ;  and 
yet  again  over  in  Lydius,  and  still  again  away  down  by  the 
river.  The  East,  the  North,  the  West  and  the  South  had 
a  voice,  and  it  was  all  concentrated  in  a  ceaseless,  senseless, 
idiotic  bark.  I  counted  again  the  tickings  of  the  clock,  and 
each  swing  of  the  pendulum  ended  in  a  bark  !  As  I  lay 
there  in  the  silence  and  desolation,  the  restless,  tossing 
anguish  of  fever,  those  dogs  gathered  together  in  State  at 
the  crossing  of  Eagle,  just  above  my  boarding-house,  and 
barked  !  They  came  under  my  windows,  and  barked  ! 
They  looked  in  between  the  curtains,  and  barked  !  They 
came  into  my  room,  and  there  on  the  sofa,  on  the  rocking- 
chair,  on  the  table,  on  the  mantelpiece,  on  the  ottoman,  on 
the  stove,  and  on  the  top  of  the  old  clock,  was  a  dog  ;  and 
each  barked  !  and  barked  1  I  saw  them  all  through  the  dark- 


76  THE  BAKKING   DOG. 

ness,  plain  as  if  it  were  noonday.    They  were  '  dirty  dogs/ 
filthy  brutes,  ill-favored  mangy  curs  all,  and  there  they  sat 
and  barked  at  the  clock,  barked  at  the  mirror,  at  the  store, 
barked  at  one  another  and  at  me,  with  the  same  monotonous^, 
meaningless,  idiotic  bow,  wow  !  as  of  old. 

I  had  two  rifles  and  a  double-barrelled  fowling-piece, 
sitting  in  the  corner  of  the  parlor  adjoining  our  sleeping- 
room,  the  gifts  of  valued  friends.  My  wife,  wearied  with 
the  day's  watching,  had  sunk  into  slumber  on  the  bed  beside 
me.  I  woke  her  gently. 

" '  Make  no  noise,'  I  said,  '  but  bring  me  the  guns  ;  do  it 
carefully.' 

"  '  What  on  earth  do  you  want  of  the  guns  ?'  she  inquired 
in  alarm. 

" '  Don't  you  see  those  infernal  dogs  ?'  I  answered,  '  bring 
me  the  guns,  and  I'll  make  short  work  with  the  howling 
curs.' 

" '  Why,  husband,'  said  she,  '  there  are  no  dogs  here,' 
and  as  she  lighted  the  gas  the  curs  vanished  away.  Bat 
I  saw  them  in  the  darkness.  It  was  only  when  the  light 
flashed  through  the  room,  that  they  fled  from  it,  and  I  heard 
them  barking  in  response  to  each  other  through  all  the 
long  night,  till  the  dawn  crept  over  the  world  again. 

"  Years  ago,  I  saved  a  boy  from  the  meshes  of  the  law,  in 
which  his  evil  ways  had  involved  him.  I  admonished  him 
of  the  end  towards  which  he  was  hastening.  I  showed  him 
that  the  path  he  was  treading  led  to  destruction,  and  he 
left  it,  as  he  said,  forever.  He  apprenticed  himself  to  a  use- 


»  THE   BASKING   DOG.  77 

ful  trade,  and  is  now  an  intelligent  mechanic.  Out  of  his 
time,  an  industrious,  sober  youth  of  two  and  twenty,  sup- 
porting by  his  industry,  his  mother  and  sister  in  comfort 
and  respectability.  He  heard  of  my  sickness,  and  on  Wed- 
nesday morning  called  to  see  me,  proffering  his  services  as  a 
nurse  and  watchman,  prompted  by  gratitude  for  the  past. 
I  declined  his  kindness  for  the  present,  as  I  told  him  casually 
of  the  dog  whose  midnight  barking  was  killing  me.  He 
called  again  on  Thursday  morning.  The  barking  had 
ceased.  He  inquired  if  I  had  been  troubled  with  the  yelp- 
ing of  that  senseless  cur,  and  I  answered  truly  that  I  had 
not,  that  I  had  slept  soundly,  and  woke  with  a  softened 
pulse  and  a  cooled  brain. 

" '  Well/  said  he,  '  I  thought  you  would  rest  easier.  I 
looked  into  the  yard  as  I  came  along,  and  saw  a  dead  dog 
lying  there.  I  thought  may  be  he  had  barked  himself  to 
death.' 

"  I  did  not  at  the  time  take  in  the  full  meaning,  the  hidden 
import  of  his  words.  I  dropped  away  into  slumber,  and 
dreamed  of  the  dog  that  barked  himself  to  death.  I  saw 
him  vanish  by  piecemeal  at  each  successive  bark,  until 
nothing  but  his  jaws  were  left,  and  as  his  last  bark  was 
uttered,  these,  too,  vanished  away,  and  then  all  was  still. 

"  I  awoke,  and  thought  that  a  dose  of  '  dog-buttons/  or 
a  taste  of  strychnine,  administered  with  a  tempting  bit  of 
cold  steak,  or  a  piece  of  fresh  lamb,  or  a  bone  of  mutton 
carefully  dropped  in  his  way,  might  have  aided  the  oper- 


78  THE   DEAD   DOG. 

ation.  Be  that  as  it  may,  whatever  of  debt  may  have 
existed  between  my  young  friend  and  myself  for  past  kind- 
ness, it  is  all  wiped  out  by  the  news  he  brought  me,  that  a 
'  dead  dog  lay  in  the  yard  over  the  way.' " 


CHAPTER    VIII. 

STONY  BROOK A  GOOD  TIME  WITH  THE  TROUT — RACKETT  RIVER 

— TUPPER'S  LAKE — A  QUESTION  ASKED  AND  ANSWERED. 

THE  next  morning  we  started  down  Stony  Brook,  towards 
the  Rackett  River,  intending  to  pitch  our  tents  at  night  on 
the  banks  of  Tapper's  Lake,  twenty-three  miles  distant. 
Before  leaving  the  Spectacle  Ponds,  we  visited  a  littte  island 
at  the  north  end  .of  the  middle  pond,  containing  perhaps 
half  an  acre.  This  island  has  a  few  Norway  pines  upon  it, 
is  of  a  loose  sandy  soil,  and  at  the  highest  portion  is  some 
twenty  feet  above  the  level  of  the  water.  It  is  a  great  resort 
for  turtle  in  the  season  of  depositing  their  eggs.  We  found 
thousands  of  their  eggs,  some  on  the  surface  and  some 
buried  in  the  sand,  and  if  one  in  a  dozen  of  them  brings 
forth  a  turtle,  there  will  be  no  lack  of  the  animal  in  the 
neighborhood.  Stony  Brook  is  a  sluggish,  tortuous  stream, 
large  enough  to  float  our  little  boats,  and  goes  meandering 
most  of  the  way  for  five  miles  among  natural  meadows, 
overflowed  at  high  water,  or  thinly  timbered  prairie,  when 

19 


80  STONY   BROOK. 

k  • 

it  enters  the  Rackett.  I  discovered  on  a  former  yisit  to  this 
wilderness,  when  the  water  was  very  low,  a  spring  that  came 
boiling  up  near  the  centre  of  the  stream,  with  a  volume 
large  enough  almost  to  carry  a  mill.  It  was  at  a  point 
where  a  high  sandy  bluff,  along  which  the  stream  swept, 
terminated.  As  we  approached  this  spot,  I  suggested  to 
Spalding,  who  was  in  the  bow  of  the  boat,  to  prepare  his  rod 
and  fly.  We  approached  carefully  along  the  willows  on 
the  opposite  shore,  until  in  a  position  from  which  he  could 
throw  in  the  direction  I  indicated.  In  the  then  stage  of  the 
water,  there  was  no  appearance  of  a  spring,  or  any  indica- 
tion marking  it  as  a  spot  where  the  trout  would  be  at  all 
likely  to  congregate,  and  Spalding  was  half  inclined  to 
believe  that  I  was  practising  upon  his  want  of  knowledge  of 
the  habits  of  the  fish  of  this  region.  I  had  said  nothing 
about  the  spring,  or  the  habit  of  the  trout  in  gathering 
wherever  a  cold  stream  enters  a  river,  or  a  spring  comes 
gushing  up  in  its  bed. 

"  I  don't  believe  there's  a  trout  within  half  a  mile  of  us," 
he  said,  as  he  adjusted  his  rod  and  fly. 

"  Never  mind,"  I  replied,  "  throw  your  fly  across  towards 
that  boulder  on  the  bank,  and  trail  it  home,  and  you'll 
see." 

"  Well,"  said  he,  "  here  goes  ;"  and  he  threw  in  the  direc- 
tion indicated. 

The  .fly  had  scarcely  touched  the  water  when  a  trout, 
weighing  a  pound  or  over,  struck  it  with  a  rush  that  carried 
him  clear  out  of  the  water.  After  a  little  play  he  was 


A  GOOD  TIME  WITH  THE  TBOTJT.  81 

landed  safely  in  the  boat,  and  another,  and  another,  fol- 
lowed at  almost  every  throw.  Not  once  did  the  fly  touch 
the  water  that  it  was  not  risen  to  by  a  fish. 

"  By  Jove  1"  said  Spalding,  as  he  handed  me  the  landing- 
net  to  take  in  his  third  or  fourth  trout,  "this  is  sport. 
You  use  the  net,  and  I'll  trail  them  to  you.  Let  us  make 
hay  while  the  sun  shines.  The  other  boat  will  soon  be 
along,  and  Smith  will  be  for  dipping  his  spoon  into  my  dish. 
I  want  to  astonish  him  when  he  comes." 

We  had  secured  eight  beautiful  fish  when  the  Doctor  and 
Smith  rounded  the  point  above  us.  We  motioned  them 
back,  and  their  boat  lay  upon  its  oars.  Spalding  kept  on 
throwing  his  fly  and  trailing  the  trout  to  me  to  secure  with 
the  landing-net." 

"  Hallo  I"  shouted  Smith,  "  hold  on  there  ;  fair  play,  my 
friends,  give  me  a  hand  in,"  and  he  fell  to  adjusting  his  rod 
and  flies. 

"  Keep  back,  you  lubber,"  replied  Spalding  ;  "  what  do 
you  know  about  trout-fishing  ?  You'll  frighten  them  all 
away  by  your  awkwardness." 

"  No  you  don't  1"  shouted  Smith,  his  rod  now  adjusted. 
"  Drop  down,  boatman,  and  we'll  see  who  is  the  lubber. 
Wait,  Spalding  !  Don't  throw,  if  you  are  a  true  man,  until 
we  can  take  a  fair  start,  and  then  the  one  that  comes  out 
second  best  pays  the  piper." 

The  boat  dropped  down  to  the  proper  position,  and  the 
Doctor,  who  was  seated  in  the  stern,  held  it  in  place  by 

4* 


82  RA.CKETT   KIVEE. 

pressing  his  paddle  into  the  sand  at  the  bottom,  while  the 
boatman  handled  the  landing  net. 

"  Now  1"  exclaimed  Smith,  as  the  flies  dropped  upon  the 
water  together  above  the  cold  spring.  There  was  no  lack 
of  trout,  for  one  rose  to  the  fly  at  every  cast. 

"  I  say,"  said  the  Doctor,  "  how  many  have  you  in  your 
boat  ?" 

"  Sixteen,"  I  replied,  after  counting  them. 

"  We've  got  eight,  and  I  bar  a,ny  more  fishing.  The  law 
has  reached  its  limit.  No  wanton  waste  of  the  good  things 
of  God,  you  know." 

The  rods  were  unjointed  and  laid  away,  and  such  a  string 
of  trout  as  we  had,  is  rarely  seen  outside  of  the  Saranac 
woods.  We  procured  fresh  grass  in  which  to  lay  our 
fish,  and  green  boughs  to  cover  them,  and  floated  on  down 
the  stream,  entering  the  Rackett  at  nine  o'clock.  The 
Rackett  is  a  most  beautiful  river.  To  me  at  least  it  is  so, 
for  it  flows  on  its  tortuous  and  winding  way  for  a  hundred 
or  more  miles  through  an  unbroken  forest,  with  all  the 
old  things  standing  in  their  primeval  grandeur  along  its 
banks.  The  woodman's  axe  has  not  marred  the  loveliness 
of  its  surroundings,  and  no  human  hand  has  for  all  that 
distance  been  laid  upon  its  mane,  or  harnessed  it  to  the 
great  wheel,  making  it  a  slave,  compelling  it  to  be  utili- 
tarian, to  grind  corn  or  throw  the  shuttle  and  spin.  It 
moves  on  towards  the  mighty  St.  Lawrence  as  wild, 
and  halterless,  and  free,  as  when  the  Great  Spirit  sent  it 


BACK-KIT   EIVEB.  83 

forward  on  its  everlasting  flow.  The  same  scenery,  and  the 
same  voices  are  seen  and  heard  along  its  banks  now  as  then; 
and,  while  man,  in  his  restlessness,  has  changed  almost 
everything  else,  the  Kackett  and  the  things  that  pertained 
to  it  when  the  earth  was  yonng,  remain  unchanged.  Bnt 
this  will  not  be  so  long.  Civilization  is  pushing  its  way 
even  towards  this  wild  and,  for  all  agricultural  purposes, 
sterile  region,  and  before  many  years  even  the  Rackett  will 
be  within  its  ever-extending  circle.  When  that  time  shall 
have  arrived,  where  shall  we  go  to  find  the  woods,  the  wild 
things,  the  old  forests,  and  hear  the  sounds  which  belong 
to  nature  in  its  primeval  state  ?  Whither  shall  we  flee  from 
civilization,  to  take  off  the  harness  and  be  free,  for  a  season, 
from  the  restraints,  the  conventionalities  of  society,  and 
rest  from  the  hard  struggles,  the  cares  and  toils,  the  strifes 
and  competitions  of  life  ?  Had  I  my  way,  I  would  mark  out 
a  circle  of  a  hundred  miles  hi  diameter,  and  throw  around  it 
the  protecting  segis  of  the  constitution.  I  would  make  it  a 
forest  forever.  It  should  be  a  misdemeanor  to  chop  down  a 
tree,  and  a  felony  to  clear  an  acre  within  its  boundaries. 
The  old  woods  should  stand  here  always  as  God  made 
them,  growing  on  until  the  earthworm  ate  away  their  roots, 
and  the  strong  winds  hurled  them  to  the  ground,  and  new 
woods  should  be  permitted  to  supply  the  place  of  the  old  so 
long  as  the  earth  remained.  There  is  room  enough  for 
civilization  in  regions  better  fitted  for  it.  It  has  no  business 
among  these  mountains,  these  rivers  and  lakes,  these  gigan- 
tic boulders,  these  tangled  valleys  and  dark  mountain  gorges. 


81  TOPPER'S  T.ATTR. 

Let  it  go  where  labor  will  garner  a  richer  harvest,  and 
industry  reap  a  better  reward  for  its  toil.  It  will  be  of 
stinted  growth  at  best  here. 

"  I  like  these  old  woods,"  said  a  gentleman,  whom  I  met 
on  the  Rackett  last  year  ;  "  I  like  them,  because  one  can  do 
here  just  what  he  pleases.  He  can  wear  a  shirt  a  week, 
have  holes  in  his  pantaloons,  and  be  out  at  elbows,  go  with 
his  boots  unblacked,  drink  whisky  in  the  raw,  chew  plug 
tobacco,  and  smoke  a  black  pipe,  and  not  lose  his  position 
in  society.  Now,"  continued  he,  "  tho'  I  don't  choose  to  do 
any  of  these  things,  yet  I  love  the  freedom,  now  and  then, 
of  doing  just  all  of  them  if  I  choose,  without  human 
accountability.  The  truth  is,  that  it  is  natural  as  well 
as  necessary  for  every  man  to  be  a  vagabond  occasionally,  to 
throw  off  the  restraints  imposed  upon  him  by  the  necessities 
and  conventionalities  of  civilization,  and  turn  savage  for  a 
season,  and  what  place  is  left  for  such  transformation,  save 
these  northern  forests  ?" 

The  idea  was  somewhat  quaint,  but  to  me  it  smacked 
of  philosophy,  and  I  yielded  it  a  hearty  assent.  I  would 
consecrate  these  old  forests,  these  rivers  and  lakes,  these 
mountains  and  valleys  to  the  Vagabond  Spirit,  and  make 
them  a  plaqe  wherein  a  man  could  turn  savage  and  rest,  for 
a  fortnight  or  a  month,  from  the  toils  and  cares  of  life. 

We  entered  TOPPER'S  LAKE  towards  six  o'clock,  and  saw 
our  white  tents  pitched  upon  the  left  bank,  some  half  a  mile 
above  the  outlet,  where  a  little  stream,  cold  almost  as 
jcewater,  comes  down  from  a  spring  a  short  way  back  in  the 


TUPPEK'S  LAKE.  85 

forest.  This  lake,  some  tea  miles  long,  and  from  one  to 
three  in  width,  is  one  of  the  most  beautiful  sheets  of  water 
that  the  eye  of  man  ever  looked  upon.  The  scenery  about 
it  is  less  bold  than  that  of  some  of  the  other  lakes  of 
this  region.  The  hills  rise  with  a  gentle  acclivity  from  the 
shore  ;  behind  them  and  far  off  rise  rugged  mountain 
ranges ;  and  further  still,  the  lofty  peaks  of  the  Adiron- 
dacks  loom  up  in  dim  and  shadowy  outline  against  the  sky. 
From  every  point  and  in  every  direction,  are  views  of  placid 
and  quiet  beauty  rarely  equalled ;  valleys  stretching  away 
among  the  highlands  ;  gaps  in  the  hills,  through  which  the 
sunlight  pours  long  after  the  shadows  of  the  forest  have 
elsewhere  thrown  themselves  across  the  lake  ;  islands,  some 
bold  and  rocky,  rising  in  barren  desolation,  right  up  from 
the  deep  water  ;  some  covered  with  a  dense  and  thrifty 
growth  of  evergreen  trees,  with  a  soil  matchless  in  fertility ; 
and  some  partaking  of  both  the  sterile  and  productive  ; 
beautiful  bays  stealing  around  bold  promontories,  and 
hiding  away  among  the  old  woods.  These  are  the  features 
of  this  beautiful  sheet  of  water,  which  none  see  but  to 
admire,  none  visit  but  to  praise  ;  and  it  lies  here  all  alone, 
surrounded  by  the  old  hills  and  forests,  bold  bluff's,  and 
rocky  shores,  all  as  God  made  them,  with  no  mark  of  the 
hand  of  man  about  it,  save  in  a  single  spot  on  a  secluded 
bay,  where  lives  a  solitary  family  in  a  log  house,  surrounded 
by  an  acre  or  two,  from  which  the  forest  has  been  cleared 
away. 

"  Will  somebody  tell  me,"  said  Smith,  as  we  sat  011 


86  A   QUESTION   ASKED   AND   ANSWERED. 

the  logs  in  front  of  onr  tent  after  supper,  smudging  away 
the  musquitoes  with  our  pipes,  "  will  somebody  tell  me  what 
we  came  into  this  wilderness  among  these  musquitoes,  and 
frogs,  and  owls  for  ?  Mind  you,  I  am  not  discontented  ; 
I  enjoy  it  hugely  ;  but  what  I  want  to  know  is  why  I  do  so  ? 
I  desire  to  understand  the  philosophy  of  the  thing." 

"  As  the  question  involves,  in  some  sense,  a  physiological 
fact,"  replied  the  Doctor,  "  it  comes  within  the  range  of  my 
professional  duties  to  understand  and  be  able  to  answer  it, 
for  you  must  know  that  the  enjoyments  of  this  region 
are  primarily  physical.  Now  I've  a  theory  which  is  this — 
that  every  man  has  a  certain  amount  of  vagabondism 
in  his  composition  that  will  be  pretty  certain  to  break  out 
in  spots  occasionally.  At  all  events  it  is  so  with  me,  and 
from  my  observation  of  men,  I  am  strong  in  the  faith  that 
it  is  so  with  every  one  who  is  neither  more  nor  less  than 
human.  It  is  all  a  mistake  to  suppose  that  I  come  off  here, 
enduring  a  heap  of  hardship  and  toil,  simply  for  the  love  of 
fishing  and  hunting,  though  I  confess  to  a  weakness  to  a 
certain  extent  that  way.  The  charm  of  this  regjon  consists 
in  the  fact,  that  it  is  the  best  place  to  play  the  vagabond, 
and  in  which  to  do  the  savage  for  a  season,  that  I  know  of. 
You  can  go  bareheaded  or  barefooted,  without  a  coat  or 
neckerchief,  get  as  ragged  and  untidy  as  you  please,  without 
subjecting  yourself  to  remark,  or  offending  the  nice  sense  of 
propriety  pertaining  to  conventional  life.  You  are  not 
responsible  for  what  you  say  or  do,  provided  always  that 
you  do  not  offend  against  the  abstract  rules  of  decency, 


LONESOME   ROCK.  87 

or  the  requirements  of  natural  decorum.  You  can  lay 
around  loose ;  the  lazier  you  are  the  better  the  boatman 
in  your  employ  likes  it.  If  you  choose  to  drift  leisurely  and 
quietly  under  the  shadow  of  the  hills  along  the  shore, 
examining  the  rocks  that  lie  there  like  a  ruined  wall,  or 
explore  the  beautiful  and  secluded  bays  that  hide  around 
behind  the  bluffs,  or  lay  off  under  the  shade  of  the  fir  trees 
on  the  islands,  or  smoke  your  cigar  or  pipe  by  the  beautiful 
spring  that  comes  bubbling  up  by  the  side  of  some  moss- 
covered  boulder,  or  from  beneath  the  tangled  roots  of  some 
gnarled  birch  or  maple,  you  can  do  any  or  all  of  these,  and 
have  a  man  to  help  you  for  twelve  shillings  a  day  and  board, 
or  you  can  do  it  just  about  as  well  alone. 

"  You  remember  LONESOME  KOCK,  in  the  Lower  Saranac,  a 
great  boulder  that  lifts  its  head  some  ten  or  fifteen  feet  above 
the  surface,  away  out  near  the  middle  of  the  lake,  around 
which  the  water  is  of  unknown  depth.  This  rock,  which  is 
always  dark  and*  bare,  is,  as  you  will  remember,  of  conical 
shape,  sharp  pointed  at  the  top,  and  stands  up  about  the 
size  of  a  small  hay-stack,  in  the  midst  of  the  waters.  Do 
you  remember  the  account  that  somebody  gives  in  a  ragged 
but  terse  kind  of  verse,  of  the  '  gentleman  in  black/  who, 
as  he  walked  about, 

'  Backward  and  forward  he  switched  his  long  tail, 
As  a  gentleman  switches  his  cane?' 

And  of  whose  dress  it  was  facetiously  said  : 

'  His  coat  was  red  and  his  breeches  were  blue, 
With  a  hole  behind  for  his  tail  to  stick  through.' 


88  LONESOME   BOCK. 

Well,  if  you  remember  all  this,  you  will  remember  how 
another  author  said  of  hirn  on  one  of  his  fishing  excursions, 
that 

'  His  rod,  it  was  a  sturdy  mountain  oak, 
His  line,  a  cable  which  no  storm  e'er  broke, 
His  hook  he  baited  with  a  dragon's  tail, 
And  sat  upon  a  rock  and  bob'd  for  whale  1' 

Well,  like  the  ebony  gentleman,  you  can,  if  you  choose, 
sit  upon  Lonesome  Rock  enjoying  your  meditations,  and 
bobbing,  not  for  whale,  for  whatever  other  fish  may  be 
found  in  the  Lower  Saranac,  I  believe  there  are  no  whale  ; 
but  you  can  bob  for  trout ;  whether  you  will  catch  any  or 
not  will  depend  very  much  on  circumstances.  It  is  a  capi- 
tal place  to  cast  the  fly  from,  or  to  sink  your  hook  with  a 
bait,  and  if  the  trout  do  not  choose  to  bite,  whose  fault  is 
that,  I  should  like  to  know  ? 

"  And  this  reminds  me  of  an  anecdote  told  me  by  a  gentle- 
man I  met  in  June  of  last  year,  on  the  Rackett  River  among 
the  black  flies,  of  an  adventure  he  met  with  on  Lonesome 
Rock  last  season.  He  had  been  trolling  around  the  lake  in 
a  boat  alone,  without  much  success,  and  concluded  he  would 
try  deep  fishing  from  this  rock,  as  he  had  heard  that  the 
trout  were  in  the  habit  of  congregating  around  its  base.  So 
he  rowed  to  the  rock,  and,  as  he  supposed,  secured  his  boat, 
and  climbing  up  its  side  seated  himself  on  his  boat  cushion, 
on  the  top.  He  caught  one  fine  fish  at  the  first  throw,  and 
took  it  for  granted  that  he  was  going  to  have  a  good  time 
of  it  among  the  trout.  When  he  mounted  the  rock,  about 


LONESOME  BOOK.  89 

eleven  o'clock,  the  sky  was  overcast,  and  he  caught  three  or 
four  trout  of  good  size  in  the  course  of  half  an  hour  ;  but 
the  sun  coming  out  bright  and  clear,  the  fish  altered  their 
minds,  and  refused  to  have  anything  more  to  do  with  his  hook. 
He  finally  concluded  to  give  up  the  business,  and  seek  the 
cooling  shadows  of  the  forest  trees  along  the  shore.  But 
his  boat  was  gone  ;  and  upon  looking  around  he  saw  it  drift- 
ing before  a  light  breeze  a  quarter  of  a  mile  distant.  Now 
when  you  remember  that  all  around  the  lake  was  a  wilder- 
ness, save  a  single  spot  at  the  head  of  the  bay,  where  Mar- 
tin's house  stands,  three  or  four  miles  distant,  and  when  you 
remember  also  that  no  boat  might  be  passing  during  the 
next  twenty-four  hours,  you  will  comprehend  that  his  posi- 
tion was  none  of  the  pleasantest.  There  he  sat  upon  the  top 
of  his  rock,  with  scarcely  room  to  turn  around,  with  a  wide 
sweep  of  deep  water  between  him  and  the  nearest  land, 
the  fish  utterly  refusing  to  bite,  and  the  sun  blazing  down 
upon  him  with  heat  like  a  furnace,  as  it  crept  with  its 
snail's  pace  across  the  sky.  At  first  he  was  inclined  to  smile 
at  his  ridiculous  situation,  all  alone  there  on  the  rock  ;  but 
as  the  wind  died  away,  and  the  sun  poured  his  burning  rays 
right  down  upon  him,  and  he  panted  and  sweat  under 
its  sweltering  influences,  he  began  to  feel  a  little  more 
serious.  Hours  glided  away,  and  the  sun  crept  slowly 
along  down  the  heavens,  but  still  no  boat  made  its  appear- 
ance. 

"The  sun  hid  itself  behind  the  hills  on  the  West,  and  still 
he  was  alone.     The  shadows  crept  up  the  mountain  peaks 


90  LONESOME  BOOK. 

that  stand  up  like  grim  giants  away  off  in  the  East,  and 
twilight  began  to  throw  its  grey  mantle  over  the  lake  ;  still 
he  was  alone.  The  darkness  began  to  gather  around  him  ; 
the  forests  along  the  shore  to  lose  their  distinctness  and  to 
stand  in  sombre  and  shadowy  outline  above  the  water  ;  still 
no  prospect  of  relief  presented  itself.  The  twilight  faded 
from  the  West,  the  stars  stole  out  in  the  heavens,  the  milky 
way  stretched  its  belt  of  light  across  the  sky,  and  there  he 
sat  alone  still  on  his  rock,  the  night  dews  falling  around 
him,  and  the  night  voices  of  the  forest  coming  solemnly 
out  over  the  water.  Things  had  now  assumed  a  serious 
aspect.  He  could  not  stretch  his  limbs  save  by  stand- 
ing erect,  and  it  seemed  inevitable  that  he  must  watch 
the  stars  during  the  night,  as  he  had  watched  the  sun  dur- 
ing the  day.  To  sleep  there  was  out  of  the  question 
There  was  no  room  for  a  sleeping  posture,  and  the  danger 
of  rolling  down  the  rock  into  the  water  kept  him  wide 
awake.  At  length  the  pleasant  sound  of  oars,  and  voices 
in  jolly  converse,  fell  upon  his  ear,  and  he  shouted.  Two 
sportsmen  were  returning  from  the  Upper  Lakes,  and  right 
welcome  was  the  answer  they  returned  to  his  call.  He  was 
glad  enough  to  be  released  from  his  rock,  upon  which,  as  he 
said, '  he  had  made  up  his  mind  that  he  should  be  compelled 
to  roost,  like  a  turkey  on  the  ridge  of  a  barn,  for  the 
night.' 

"  To  go  back  from  this  digression,"  continued  the  Doctor, 
"  I  repeat  that  every  man  has  a  vein  of  the  vagabond,  a 
streak  of  the  savage  in  him,  which  can  never  be  clean 


THE   ANSWER.  91 

wiped  out.  Educate  him,  polish  him  as  you  may,  it  will  be 
in  him  still,  and  he  will  love  to  go  off  into  the  old  woods  at 
times,  to  lay  around  loose  for  a  season,  vagabondising  among 
the  wild  and  savage  things  of  the  wilderness.  It  is  but 
indulging  the  original  instincts  of  our  nature.  True,  he  will 
not  relish  his  savage  ways  a  great  while.  His  old  habits 
will  lead  him  back  to  civilization,  to  the  luxury  of  a  well- 
furnished  room,  the  quiet  of  an  easy  chair,  and  the  repose 
of  a  soft  bed.  In  a  word  to  '  clean  up '  and  shave  and 
dress,  so  that  when  he  looks  into  a  glass  he  will  see  the 
shadow  of  a  gentleman." 


CHAPTER  IX. 

HUNTING   BY  TORCH    LIGHT — AN    INCOMPETENT    JUDGE — A   NEW 
SOUND   IN   THE   FOREST — OLD    SANGAMO'S  DONKEY. 

SPALDING  and  Martin  went  out  upon  the  lake  after  dark, 
with  one  of  the  boats,  to  hunt  by  torch  light.  This  is  done 
by  placing  a  lighted  torch,  or  a  lamp  upon  a  standard,  placed 
upright  in  the  bow  of  the  boat,  and  so  high  that  a  man 
seated  or  lying  upon  the  bottom  of  the  craft,  will  have  his 
head  below  it.  He  must  himself  be  in  someway  shaded  from 
the  light,  which  must  be  cast  forward  so  that  both  the  hun- 
ter and  the  boatman  will  be  in  the  shadow.  A  very  com- 
mon method  is  to  make  a  box,  a  foot  or  less  square,  open, 
or  with  a  pane  of  glass  on  one  side  ;  a  stick  three  or  four 
feet  long  is  run  through  an  auger  hole  in  the  top  and  bot- 
tom, and  wedged  fast,  which  forms  a  standard  ;  the  other 
end  of  the  stick  is  runHhrough  a  hole  on  the  little  deck 
on  the  forward  part  of  the  boat,  and  placed  in  a  socket 
formed  for  the  purpose  in  the  bottom,  and  is  wedged  at  the 
deck,  so  as  to  make  it  steady.  The  open  or  glass  front  of 

98 


HUNTING  BY  TORCHLIGHT.  93 

the  box  is  turned  forward,  and  a  common  japan  lamp  placed 
in  a  socket  prepared  for  it  in  the  box.  This  of  course 
throws  the  light  forward,  while  the  occupants  of  the  boat 
are  in  the  shadow.  The  hunter  sits,  or  more  commonly  lies 
at  length  on  a  bed  of  boughs  in  the  bottom  of  the  boat, 
with  his  rifle  so  far  in  front  that  the  light  will  fall  upon  the 
forward  sight.  An  experienced  boatman  will  paddle  silently 
op  to  within  twenty  feet  of  a  deer  that  may  be  feeding  along 
the  shore.  The  stupid  animal  will  stand,  gazing  in  aston- 
ishment at  the  light,  until  the  boat  almost  touches  him. 

"  That  Hank  Martin,"  said  Cullen,  one  of  the  boatmen, 
as  the  hunters  disappeared  into  the  darkness,  "  is  a  queer 
boy  in  his  way.  You  will  notice  that  when  he  straightens 
up,  and  takes  the  kinks  out  of  him,  he  stands  six  feet  and 
over  hi  his  stockings,  and  his  arms  hang  down  to  his  knees. 
He's  the  strongest  man  in  these  woods,  and  tolerably  active 
when  there's  occasion  for  it.  He  is  a  droll,  good-natured, 
easy  tempered  chap,  and  don't  get  angry  at  trifles.  He  is 
fond  of  a  joke  himself,  and  will  stand  having  a  good  many 
sticks  poked  at  him  without  getting  riled  ;  but  when  he 
does  get  his  back  up,  it's  well  enough  to  stand  out  of  his 
way,  and  not  step  on  his  shadow.  He  never  struck  a  man 
but  once  in  real  earnest,  and  that  was  over  in  Keeseville, 
and  on  that  occasion  the  people  said  the  town  clock  had 
struck  one.  The  fellow  he  struck  tfent  eend  over  eend,  and 
then  went  down,  and  when  he  went  down  he  laid  still — he 
didn't  come  to  time. 

"  But  what  I  was  going  to  tell  you  is,  that  Hank  and  I 


94  AN   INCOMPETENT  JUDGE. 

were  down  at  Plattsburgh  last  fall,  and  a  big  fellow  who 
had  taken  quite  as  much  red  eye  as  was  for  his  good,  under- 
took to  pick  a  quarrel  with  Hank  and  give  him  a  beating. 
Hank,  as  I  said,  being  a  peaceable  man,  and  much  more 
given  to  fun  than  to  fighting,  kept  good-natured,  and 
avoided  a  scrimmage  as  long  as  he  could.  But  his  patience 
and  his  temper  at  last  caved  in,  and  seizing  his  opponent  by 
the  neck  with  his  left  hand,  and  thrusting  him  down  upon 
the  ground,  he  began  very  deliberately  to  cuff  him  with  his 
right,  in  a  way  that  seemed  anything  but  pleasant  to  the 
individual  upon  whom  his  cuffs  were  bestowed.  '  Enough ! 
enough!'  cried  his  assailant.  'Let  up!  enough!  enough!' 
'  Hold  your  tongue,  you  scoundrel !'  replied  Hank,  as  he 
kept  on  pommeling  his  enemy,  'hold  your  tongue,  I  tell 
you  I  You  ain't  a  judge  of  these  things!  I'll  let  you  know 
when  you've  got  enough.'  When  he'd  given  him  what  he 
thought  was  about  right,  he  lifted  him  on  to  his  feet,  and, 
holding  him  up  face  to  face  with  himself  a  moment, '  There,' 
said  he,  '  look  at  me  well,  so  that  you'll  know  me  when  I 
come  this  way  again  ;  and  when  you  see  my  trail,  you'd 
better  travel  some  other  road.' " 

"Speaking  of  Plattsburgh,"  said  the  Doctor,  "reminds 
me  of  an  incident  which  occurred  to  a  friend  and  myself, 
over  in  the  Chataugay  woods,  between  the  Cha/y  and  the 
Upper  Chataugay  lakes*  I  was  spending  a  few  days  at 
Plattsburgh,  and  hearing  a  good  deal  of  the  trout  and 
deer  in  and  about  those  lakes,  my  friend  and  myself  con- 
cluded to  pay  them  a  flying  visit.  On  the  banks  of  the 


A  NEW   SOUND   IN   THE   FOBEST.  95 

Chazy  and  near  the  outlet,  a  half-breed,  that  is,  half  French 
and  half  Indian,  had  built  him  a  log  cabin,  and  cleared 
about  an  acre  of  land  around  it.  His  live  stock  consisted 
of  two  homely,  lean,  and  half-starved  dogs,  and  as  ragged 
and  ill-looking  a  donkey  as  could  be  found  in  a  week's 
travel.  The  half-breed  was  a  sort  of  half  fisherman  and 
half  hunter,  excelling  in  nothing,  unless  it  be  that  he  was 
the  laziest  man  this  side  of  the  Rocky  Mountains.  He  suc- 
ceeded, occasionally,  in  killing  a  deer  in  the  forest,  and 
when  he  did  so,  he  would  lead  his  donkey  to  the  place  of 
slaughter,  and  bring  in  the  carcase  on  the  long-eared  ani- 
mal's back. 

"  We  were  passing  from  the  Chazy  to  Bradley's  Lake, 
and  had  sat  down  on  the  trunk  of  a  fallen  tree  to  take  a 
short  breathing  spell.  It  was  a  warm  afternoon,  and  the 
air  was  calm;  not  a  breath  stirred  the  leaves  on  the  old 
trees  around  us;  the  forest  sounds  were  hushed,  save  the 
tap  of  the  woodpecker  on  his  hollow  tree,  or  an  occasional 
drumming  of  a  partridge  on  his  log.  It  was  drawing 
towards  one  of  those  calm,  still,  autumnal  evenings  of  which 
poets  sing,  but  which  are  to  be  met  with  in  all  their  glory 
only  anlong  the  beautiful  lakes  that"  lay  sleeping  in  the  wild 
woods,  and  surrounded  by  old  primeval  things.  The  path 
wound  round  a  densely  wooded  and  sombre  hollow,  the 
depths  of  which  the  eye  could  not  p enetrate,  but  from  out 
of  which  came  the  song  of  a  stream  that  went  cascading 
down  the  rocks,  and  rippling  among  the  loose  boulders  that 


96  A  NEW   SOUND  IN   THE  FOREST. 

lay  in  its  course.  Beyond  us,  through  an  opening  in  the 
trees,  we  could  see  the  lake,  sparkling  and  shining  in  the 
evening  sunbeams,  and  we  were  talking  about  the  beauty 
of  the  view,  and  the  calmness  and  repose  that  seemed  rest- 
ing upon  all  things,  when,  of  a  sudden,  there  came  up  from 
that  shadowy  dell  a  sound,  the  most  unearthly  that  ever 
broke  upon  the  astonished  ear  of  mortal  man.  I  have  heard 
the  roar  of  the  lion  of  the  desert,  the  yell  of  the  hyena, 
the  trumpeting  of  the  elephant,  the  scream  of  the  panther, 
the  howl  of  the  wolf.  It  was  like  none  of  these ;  but  if  you 
could  imagine  them  all  combined,  and  concentrated  into  a 
single  sound,  and  ushered  together  upon  the  air  from  a  sin- 
gle throat,  shaped  like  the  long  neck  of  some  gigantic  ich- 
thiosaurns  of  the  times  of  old,  you  would  have  some  faint 
idea  of  the  strange  sounds  that  came  roaring  up  from  that 
hollow  way.  My  friend  was  a  man  of  courage,  and,  like 
myself,  had  been  around  the  world  some;  had  spent  a  good 
deal  of  time,  first  and  last,  in  the  woods,  was  familiar  with 
most  of  the  legitimate  forest  sounds,  and  had  heard  all  the 
ten  thousand  voices  that  belong  in  the  wilderness,  but  we 
had  never  before  listened  to  a  noise  like  that. 

"  We  looked  to  our  rifles  and  at  one  another,  and  it  may 
well  be  that  our  hats  sat  somewhat  loosely  upon  our  heads, 
from  an  involuntary  rising  of  the  hair.  'What,  in  the 
name  of  all  that  is  mysterious/  cried  my  friend,  in  amaze- 
ment, '  is  that  ?'  '  It  is  more  than  I  know/  I  replied,  as  I 
placed  a  fresh  cap  on  my  rifle.  After  a  few  minutes,  the 


A  NEW   SOUND   IN   THE   FOREST.  97 

sounds  were  repeated,  and  the  hills  seemed  to  groan  with 
affright  as  they  sent  them  back  in  wavy  and  quavering 
echoes  from  their  rugged  sides. 

" '  We  must  understand  this,'  said  my  friend,  as  he  led 
the  way  with  a  cautious  and  stealthy  movement  towards  the 
depths  of  the  hollow,  whence  the  sounds  came,  and  there, 
by  the  stream,  on  a  little  sand-bar,  stood  old  Sangamo's 
donkey,  by  the  side  of  a  deer.  Old  Sangamo  himself  was 
stretched  at  full  length  on  the  bank,  fast  asleep.  How  he 
could  have  slept  on,  with  such  an  infernal  roaring  as  that 
donkey  made  in  those  old  woods,  six  or  eight  miles  outside 
of  a  fence,  is  more  than  I  can  comprehend.  But  he  did 
sleep  through  it  all,  and  was  wakened  only  by  a  punch  in 
the  ribs  with  the  butt  of  my  rifle,  instigated  by  pity  for  the 
poor  donkey  that  was  being  eaten  up  by  the  flies.  We 
helped  him  to  load  the  carcass  of  the  deer  on  the  back  of 

• 

his  donkey,  and  saw  him  move  off  lazily  towards  home.  I 
have  heard  a  good  many  strange  noises  ifi  my  day,  but 
never,  on  any  other  occasion,  have  I  listened  to  anything  to 
be  at  all  compared  with  the  noise  made  by  the  braying  of 
old  Sangamo's  donkey  in  the  Chataugay  woods." 

As  the  Doctor  concluded  his  story,  the  sharp  crack  of 
Spalding's  rule  broke  the  stillness  of  the  night,  and  went 
reverberating  among  the  hills,  and  dying  away  over  the 
lake.  It  was  but  a  short  distance  from  our  camp,  in  a 
little  bay  hidden  away  around  a  wooded  promontory  below 
us.  In  a  few  minutes,  the  light  was  seen,  rounding  the 
point  that  hid  the  bay  from  our  view,  and,  as  the  boat 

5 


98  A   FOOL   OF   A   DEER. 

landed  in  front  -of  qur  tents,  Spaldiug  and  Martin  lifted 
from  it  a  fine  two  year  old  deer,  shot  directly  between  the 
eyes. 

"There,"  said  Spalding,  "is  the  biggest,  or  what  was 
the  biggest  fool  of  a  deer  in  these  woods.  Do  you  believe 
that  he  stood  perfectly  still,  gazing  in  stupid  astonishment 
at  our  light,  until  we  were  within  a  dozen  feet  of  him,  when 
I  dropped  him  with  that  ball  between  the  eyes  ?" 

"  No,"  replied  Smith,  "  I  really  don't  believe  any  such 
thing." 

"It  is  true,  notwithstanding  your  lack  of  faith,"  said 
Spalding. 

"  Do  you  say  that  as  counsel,  or  as  a  gentleman  ?" 
inquired  Smith. 

"  Look  you,  Mr.  Smith,"  said  Spalding,  "  you  are  draw- 
ing" a  distinction  not  warranted  by  the  authority  of  the 
books — as  if  a  lawyer  could  not  tell  the  truth  like  a  gentle- 
man. I  say  it  as  both." 

" Very  well,"  remarked  Smith,  "then  I  must  believe  it, 
of  course.  But  understand,  Hank  Martin,  it  will  be  my 
turn  to-morrow  night."  And  so  the  matter  was  settled 
that  the  next  night  hunting  was  to  be  done  by  Smith. 

"  H ,"  said  the  Doctor,  as  I  was  stealing  quietly  out 

of  the  tent,  in  the  twilight  of  the  next  morning,  so  as  not 
to  awaken  my  companions,  "  where  now  ?" 

"  I'm  going  to  take  some  trout  for  breakfast,  with  our 
venison,"  I  replied. 

"  And  where  do  you  propose  to  take  them  ?"  he  inquired 


TROUTING   FOR  BREAKEA8T.  99 

"  Come  with  me,  and  I'll  show  you,  I  looked  the  place 
out  last  evening,  and  if  you've  done  sleeping,  we'll  have 
some  sport." 

"Agreed,"  said  he,  and  we  paddled  around  the  point 
into  a  little  bay,  at  the  head  of  which  a  small,  but  cold 
stream  entered  Jhe  lake.  The  Doctor  sat  in  the  bow, 
and,  having  adjusted  his  rod,  I  steered  the  boat  carefully, 
close  along  the  shore,  to  within  reach  of  the  mouth  of  the 
brook,  and  directed  him  to  cast  across  it.  The  moment  his 
fly  touched  the  water,  half  a  dozen  fish  rose  to  it  together. 
It  was  eagerly  seized  by  one  weighing  less  than  a  quarter 
of  a  pound,  which  was  lifted  bodily  into  the  boat.  He 
caught  as  fast  as  he  could  cast  his  fly.  They  were  the 
genuine  brook  trout,  none  of  them  exceeding  a  quarter  of  a 
pound  in  weight.  In  hah0  an  hour,  we  had  secured  as  many 
as  we  needed  for  breakfast,  and  paddled  back  to  take  a 
morning  nap  while  the  meal  was  being  prepared. 

The  sweetest  fish  that  swims  is  the  brook  trout,  weighing 
from  a  quarter  of  a  pound  down.  Boiled  in  flour,  or  meal, 
and  fried  brown,  they  have  no  equal.  The  lake  and  river 
trout,  weighing  from  two  to  ten  pounds,  beautiful  as  they 
are,  have  not  that  delicacy  of  flavor  which  belongs  to  the 
genuine  brook  trout.  Boiled,  when  freshly  caught,  they  are 
by  no  means  to  be  spoken  lightly  of.  They  have  few 
equals,  cooked  in  that  way,  but  as  a  pan  fish,  they  are  not 
to  be  compared  with  the  genuine  brook  trout. 


CHAPTER  X. 

GRINDSTONE  BROOK FOREST  SOUNDS — A  FUNNY  TREE,  COV- 
ERED WITH  SNOW  FLAKES. 

WE  crossed  over  towards  a  deep  bay  on  the  west  shore,  to 
where  a  stream  comes  cascading  down  the  rocks,  and  leap- 
ing into  the  lake,  as  if  rejoicing  at  finding  a  resting-place  in 
its  quiet  bosom.  The  spot  where  this  stream  enters,  is  in 
the  deep  shadow  of  the  old  forest  trees  that  reach  then- 
leafy  arms  far  out  from  the  ledges  on  which  they  grow, 
forming  an  arch  above,  and  shutting  out  the  sunlight. 
Here  the  trout  congregate,  to  enjoy  the  cool  water  that 
comes  down  from  the  hills  above.  We  approached  it  care- 
fully, and  Smith,  by  way  of  experiment,  cast  his  fly  across 
the  current  where  the  stream  enters  the  lake.  It  was  seized 
by  a  beautiful  fish  weighing,  perhaps,  two  pounds.  We  did 
not  need  him,  for  the  place  where  we  proposed  to  pitch  our 
tents  for  the  night  would  afford  us  all  the  fish  required,  and 
after  lifting  him  into  the  boat  with  the  landing-net  and 
100 


GRINDSTONE  BROOK.  101 

releasing  the  hook  from  his  jaw,  we  returned  him  to  the  lake 
again. 

Two  miles  from  the  head  of  the  lake,  on  the  east  side, 
is  a  deep  bay  at  the  head  of  which  enters  a  little  brook  that 
comes  creeping  along  for  a  mile  among  the  tangled  roots  of 
ancient  hemlocks  and  spruce,  singing  gaily  among  the  loose 
stones,  sometimes  disappearing  entirely  beneath  bridges  of 
moss,  and  sometimes  sparkling  in  the  sunlight,  on  its  way 
to  the  lake.  This  little  stream  we  found  swarming  with 
speckled  trout  of  the  size  of  minnows,  and  at  its  mouth  the 
large  trout  congregated.  As  we  rounded  one  of  the  points 
that  .shut  out  the  view  of  this  bay  from  the  lake,  we  saw 
two  deer  feeding  quietly  upon  the  lily  pads  along  the  shore, 
some  quarter  of  a  mile  from  us.  We  dropped  quietly  back 
behind  the  point,  where  Smith  and  one  of  the  boatmen 
prepared  to  take  a  shot  at  them.  Martin  took  his  seat  in 
the  stern  with  his  paddle,  and  Smith  lay  stretched  at  length 
along  the  bottom  of  the  boat  upon  boughs  prepared  for  the 
occasion,  with  his  rifle  resting  upon  the  forward  end  of  the 
boat.  It  was  broad  daylight,  and  to  paddle  up  within 
shooting  distance  of  a  deer  under  such  circumstances,  in 
plain  view  of  an  animal  the  most  wary,  is  a  delicate  job, 
but  it  may  be  done.  I  have  more  than  once  been  thus 
paddled  within  thirty  yards  of  a  deer  while  feeding  in  the 
water.  The  wind  must  be  blowing  from  the  deer  to  the 
hunter,  or  the  scent  will  alarm  the  animal,  and  he  will  go 
snorting  and  bounding  away. 

Smith  and  Martin  passed  silently  out  into  the  bay,  and 


102  GRINDSTONE   BKOOK. 

/ 

m? 

moved  slowly  towards  where  the  deer  were  feeding.  The 
boat  in  which  we  sat  was  permitted  to  float  out  to  a  posi- 
tion from  which  we  could  see  the  sportsmen  as  they 
approached  the  game.  Slowly  but  steadily  they  moved, 
the  paddle  remaining  in  the  water,  sculling  the  little  craft 
along  as  if  it  were  a  log  drifting  in  the  water.  The  deer 
occasionally  raised  their  heads,  looking  all  around,  evidently 
regarding  the  boat  as  a  harmless  thing  floating  in  from  the 
lake.  After  gazing  thus  about  them  they  stooped  their 
heads  again,  and  went  on  feeding,  as  if  no  danger  were  near 
them.  The  hunters  drifted  within  seventy  or  eighty  yards 
of  the  game,  when  a  column  of  white  smoke  shot  suddenly 
up  from  the  bow  of  the  boat,  and  the  report  of  Smith's  rifle 
rang  out  sharp  and  clear  over  the  lake.  We  saw  where  the 
ball  struck  the  water  just  beyond  the  deer,  passing  directly 
under  its  belly,  possibly  high  enough  to  graze  its  body.  At 
the  flash  and  report  of  the  rifle,  the  animal  leaped  high  into 
the  air,  bounded  in  affright  this  way  and  that  for  a  moment, 
and  then  straightened  itself  for  the  woods.  We  heard  his 
snort  as  he  went  crashing  up  the  hillside. 

Reader,  should  you  ever  drift  -out  to  this  beautiful  lake, 
you  will  find  on  the  ridge  just  above  where  Bog  River  comes 
tumbling,  and  roaring,  and  foaming  over  the  rocks  into  the 
lake,  the  charred  remains  of  a  campfire,  built  against  a 
great  log  that  was  once  the  trunk  of  a  tall  forest  tree. 
If  you  .should  visit  it  within  a  year  or  two,  you  will  perhaps 
notice  some  forked  stakes  standing  a  few  feet  from  the  place 
of  the  fire,  and  a  bed  of  withered  and  dry  boughs  (now 


FOREST   SOUNDS.  103 

fresh  and  green).  Well,  our  tents  were  stretched  over 
those  stakes,  those  boughs  were  our  bed,  and  those  charred 
chunks  are  the  remains  of  our  campfire,  that  sent  a  sepul- 
chral light  among  the  forest  trees  around. 

The  sounds  that  come  upon  the  ear  during  the  night  in  a 
far  off  place  like  this,  are  peculiar.  The  old  owl  hoots 
mournfully,  the  frogs  bellow  hoarsely  along  the  reedy  shore, 
while  the  tree  toads  are  quavering  from  among  the  branches 
of  the  scrubby  trees  that  grow  along  the  rocky  banks  ;  the 
whippoorwill  pipes  shrilly  in  the  forest  depths  ;  the  breeze 
murmurs  among  the  foliage  of  the  tall  old  pines,  while  the 
everlasting  roar  of  the  waters,  as  they  go  tumbling  down 
the  rocks,  is  always  heard.  However  diversified  these 
sounds  may  be,  they  all  invite  to  repose.  They  fall  sooth- 
ingly upon  the  ear,  and  though .  all  are  distinctly  heard,  yet 
strange  as  it  may  seem,  there  is  a  strong  impression  upon 
the  mind  of  the  deep  silence  pervading  the  forest.  This 
impression  is  doubtless  occasioned  by  the  utter  dissimilarity 
between  the  voices  one  hears  hi  the  day,  from  those  which 
fall  upon  the  ear  in  the  night  tune.  The  former  are  all 
joyous  and  happy,  full  of  gladness  and  merriment,  full  of 
life  and  animation;  the  latter  solemn,  deep,  profound,  lulling 
to  the  senses  ;  not  sorrowful  nor  sad,  yet  still  such  as  form 
a  calm  and  quiet  lullaby,  under  the  influence  of  which  one 
glides  away  into  slumber,  and  sleeps  quietly  until  dawn. 
Then  the  voice  of  gladness  breaks  so  tumultuously  on  the 
ear,  that  he  must  be  a  sluggard  indeed  who  can  resist  their 
wakening  influences. 


104  FOBE8T   BOUNDS. 

How  beautifully  the  sun  went  down  behind  the  hills, 
lighting  up  the  western  sky,  and  the  fleecy  clouds  floating  in 
the  heavens  with  a  blaze  of  glory,  throwing  a  mantle  of 
silver  over  the  tall  ranges  and  mountain  peaks  that  loomed 
up  in  solemn  grandeur  away  in  the  east ;  and  how  stilly, 
silently  the  stars  came  out  from  the  depths  above,  and  how 
brightly  and  truthfully  they  were  given  back  from  away 
down  in  depths  beneath  the  placid  waters.  We  had  taken 
half  a  dozen  beautiful  trout  from  the  foot  of  the  falls  where 
the  current  shoots  out  into  the  lake.  We  had  eaten  them 
too,  and  were  sitting  in  front  of  our  tents  smoking  our 
evening  pipes. 

"  Spalding,"  said  the  Doctor,  "  how  I  wish  our  little  boys 
were  out  here  with  us.  How  they  would  enjoy  themselves 
among  these  lakes  and  rivers.  It  is  a  hard  lot  that  the 
children  of  our  cities  have  in  life.  They  struggle  up  to  man 
and  womanhood  against  fearful  odds,  and  the  wonder  is, 
that  they  do  not  perish  in  their  infancy  ;  that  they  are  not 
blasted,  as  the  blossoms  are,  when  the  cold  east  wind  sweeps 
over  the  earth." 

"  You  are  right,  my  friend,"  replied  Spalding.  "  I  should 
like  to  have  our  little  boys,  and  girls  too,  for  that  matter, 
with  us  for  a  few  days  out  here  on  these  lakes.  It  would 
be  a  lifetime  to  them,  measuring  time  by  the  enjoyment  it 
would  afford  them.  Still  their  city  habits  might  make  them 
tire  of  this  freedom  in  a  week.  You  and  I  enjoy  it  longer, 
because  it  brings  back  old  memories  and  relieves  us  from 
the  toils  of  business  and  the  restraints  of  conventional  life. 


FOREST  SOUNDS.  105 

You  are  right  too  in  saying  that  the  lot  of  our  city  chil- 
dren is  a  hard  one.  To  live  imprisoned  between  long  rows 
of  brick  walls,  breathing  an  atmosphere  charged  with  the 
exhalations  of  ten  thousand  cooking  stoves,  the  dust  of 
forges  and  the  smoke  of  furnaces,  machine  shops,  gas  works, 
filthy  streets,  and  the  thousand  other  manufactories  of 
villainous  smells  ;  where  the  summer  air  has  no  freshness, 
no  forest  odors,  or  sweetness  gathered  from  fields  of  grain, 
the  meadows,  or  the  pastures.  To  tramp  only  on  stone  side- 
walks. To  know  nothing  of  the  pleasant  paths  beneath 
the  spreading  branches  of  old  primeval  trees  ;  no  soft  grass 
for  their  little  feet  to  press  ;  never  to  wander  along  the 
streams  or  the  little  brooks  j  to  be  strangers  always  to 
the  beautiful  things  spread  out  everywhere  in  the  country 
in  the  summer  time.  I  always  feel  sad  when  I  see  the  pale 
faces  of  the  little  children  of  the  great  cities,  and  marvel 
how  so  many  of  them  grow  up  to  be  men  and  women.  It 
is  a  hard  lot  to  be  cooped  up  in  the  city,  vegitating,  as  it 
were,  in  the  shade,  where  there  is  no  grass  for  their  little 
feet  to  press,  no  fences  to  climb,  or  fields  to  ramble  over,  or 
brooks  to  wade,  or  running  water  on  which  to  float  chips, 
and  wherein  to  watch  the  little  chubs  and  shiners  dancing 
and  playing  about,  or  fresh  pure  air  to  breathe,  or  birds  to 
listen  to.  It  is  a  thousand  pities  that  the  cities  could  not 
be  emptied  every  summer  of  their  little  people  into  the  free 
and  open  country,  where  they  could  run  about,  and  sport 
and  play,  and  have  free  range  and  plenty  of  elbow-room. 
It  would  make  them  so  much  healthier  and  happier,  so  much 

5* 


106      A  FUNNY   TKEE,    COVERED   WITH   SNOW-FLAKES. 

more  cheerful ;  their  voices  of  gladness  would  ring  out  so 
much  more  joyously  in  the  morning,  and  their  songs  be  so 
much  more  sweet  at  night. 

I  remember  an  anecdote  told  me  of  a  little  child,  born  in 
the  great  metropolis,  who  had  never,  until  her  fifth  summer, 
been  outside  of  the  paved  streets  of  New  York.  Her 
mother  had  friends  residing  in  one  of  the  up-river  towns, 
owning  a  beautiful  farm  overlooking  the  Hudson,  and  in 
early  May  she  paid  them  a  visit,  taking  her  little  daughter 
with  her.  Mary,  of  course,  was  delighted.  Like  a  bird 
freed  from  its  cage,  she  flew  about  here,  there,  everywhere, 
in-doors  and  out,  among  the  chickens  and  the  pigs,  the 
turkeys  and  the  lambs,  enjoying  to  the  full  the  thousand 
new  things  that  her  eyes  rested  upon  all  around  her,  and 
her  young  spirits  in  wild  commotion  under  the  bracing 
influences  of  the  country  air.  "  Mother  !  mother  I"  she 
exclaimed,  as  she  came  dashing  into  the  parlor,  her  beauti- 
ful curls  floating  wildly  over  her  shoulders,  and  her  bright 
eyes  wide  open  with  wonder  ;  "  Mother  1  mother  !  come 
out  here,  quick  1  and  see  this  funny  tree,  all  covered  over 
with  snow-flakes,  and  how  sweet  it  smells  all  around  it."  It 
was  a  plum  tree  in  full  blossom.  That  little  child  had 
never  seen  the  beautiful  spring  blossoms  on  the  fruit 
trees. 

"  I  have  no  children  of  my  own,"  remarked  Smith,  "  and, 
therefore,  may  not  be  regarded  as  the  best  authority  in 
regard  to  the  manner  of  treating,  or  rearing  children  ;  but 
I  have  often  wondered  at  the  very  great  mistakes  people 


THE  BOOSTER   THAT   CHANGED   THE  WEATHEE.      107 

sometimes  make  in  regard  to  them.  There  are  parents  who 
mean  no  wrong,  and  yet  who  make  no  scruple  of  deceiving 
them  in  reply  to  their  simple  questionings,  forgetting,  or 
regardless  of  the  fact,  that  a  false  answer  to  their  innocent 
inquiries  put  hi  good  faith,  and  in  the  earnest  pursuit  of  truth, 
may  plant  an  error  in  their  minds,  which  may  take  years  of 
experience,  and  often  a  painful  amount  of  ridicule  to  eradicate. 
I  knew  a  little  boy  years  ago,  a  thoughtful,  philosophic  child, 
who  speculated  in  his  simplicity  upon  what  he  saw,  as  great 
philosophers  do,  in  their  wisdom,  upon  the  various  phenomena 
of  Nature.  His  father,  had  a  great  barn,  above  which,  as 
was  the  fashion  long  ago,  perched  upon  a  staff,  a  few  feet 
above  the  ridgepole,  was  a  weather-cock,  fashioned  out  of 
a  piece  of  board  in  the  shape  of  a  rooster.  '  Father,'  said 
the  little  boy,  one  day,  'what  makes  that  rooster  always 
point  his  head  one  way  when  the  cold  wind  blows,  and  the 
other  way  when  it  is  warm  and  pleasant  ?'  '  He  always 
looks  towards  the  place  where  the  wind  comes  from,'  replied 
the  father  ;  '  when  he  gets  too  warm,  and  the  sun  is  too  hot 
for  him,  he  turns  his  tail  to  the  south,  and  the  north  wind  is 
sure  to  come  down,  cold  and  chill,  to  cool  him  off.'  '  Does 
he  call  the  cold  wind,  father,  and  will  it  come  when  he.  looks 
that  way  ?'  was  the  next  inquiry.  '  Certainly,'  replied  his 
father,  carelessly.  That  was  a  wrong  and  a  foolish  an- 
swer. 

That  little  boy,  relying  in  his  simple  faith  upon  the  wis- 
dom and  truthfulness  of  his  father,  believed  for  a  long  tune, 
that  the  weathercock  on  the  top  of  the  barn,  couM  bring 


108  LOVE  OF  CHILDREN. 

the  cold  north,  or  the  warm  south  wind,  by  taming  upon 
its  perch.  He  was  cured  of  his  error  only  by  being  laughed 
at  for  his  simplicity.  Parents  should  never  deceive  their 
children  by  a  careless  or  a  wrong  answer  to  the  simple 
questions  put  to  them  by  these  little  searchers  after  know- 
ledge." 

"  I  remember,"  said  the  doctor,  "  and  it  is  one  of  the  ear- 
liest incidents  which  my  recollection  has  treasured,  that  I 
was  out  one  evening  in  autumn,  with  a  boy  older  than 
myself,  gathering  hazel  nuts.  The  sun  had  sunk  behind  the 
hills,  and  the  shadows  of  twilight  were  gathering  in  the 
valley.  It  was  a  beautiful  and  calm  evening,  the  solemn 
stillness  of  which,  was  only  broken  by  the  '  tza  !  tza  !'  of 
thousands  of  katydids  among  the  bushes.  I  asked  my  com- 
panion what  it  was  that  made  the  noise  I  heard,  and  he, 
supposing  that  I  referred  to  sounds  that  came  up  occasion- 
ally from  the  lake,  after  listening  for  a  moment,  answered 
that  it  was  made  by  the  wild  geese.  In  my  simplicity  I 
believed  it,  and  it  was  not  until  I  caught,  the  next  season, 
a  katydid  while  it  was  in  the  act  of  singing,  that  I  dis- 
covered that  the  music  among  the  hazel  bushes  was  not 
made  by  the  wild  geese." 

"  I  never  respect  a  man  or  woman,"  said  Spalding, 
"  whose  heart  does  not  warm  towards  little  children,  who 
takes  no  pleasure  nor  interest  in  their  society,  who  has  no 
patience  to  listen  to  their  simple  thoughts  expressed  in  their 
ample  way.  '  Mother/  said  a  little  child  of  four  or  five 
years  of  age,  one  evening  when  the  summer  air  was  warm, 


LOVE   OF   CHILDREN.  109 

and  the  skies  were  bright  above,  as  she  sat  beside  her 
mother,  on  a  bench  beneath  the  spreading  branches  of  the 
tall  old  elms  in  front  of  the  house  ;  '  mother,  what  makes 
the  stars  come  out,  only  after  the  dark  has  come  down, 
and  why  don't  the  moon  go  up  into  the  sky  like  the  sun 
in  the  day  time  ?'  I  listened  anxiously  for  the  reply.  I 
knew  the  kind  heart  of  that  mother,  how  truthful  it  was, 
and  how  earnest  and  pure  in  its  affection  for  its  gentle  and 
only  darling.  '  Sit  here  upon  my  lap,  Mary,'  said  the 
mother,  '  and  I  will  try  and  explain  it  all  so  that  you  will 
understand  it.'  And  she  told  the  little  child  how  God  made 
the  sun  to  rule  the  day,  and  the  moon  and  the  stars  to  rule 
the  night  ;  how  that  the  stars  were  always  in  the  sky,  but 
how  the  superior  brightness  of  the  sun  put  them  out  in  the 

day  time  ;  how  the  stars,  that  twinkled  like  little  rush-lights 

• 

in  the  heavens,  were  great  worlds,  a  thousand  times  larger 

than  this  earth,  made  and  placed  away  up  in  the  sky,  by 
the  same  great  and  good  God  who  made  the  world  we  live 
in.  Little  Mary  was  silent  and  attentive  to  the  simple 
lecture,  until  it  was  finished,  and  then  asked,  so  simply  and 
confidingly,  that  I  could  not  help  smiling  to  think  that  the 
mind  of  chilihood  should  be  running  upon  a  subject,  and 
seeking  a  solution  of  the  same  question  which  has  puzzled 
the  profoundest  philosophers  through  all  time  :  '  Mother,' 
said  the  little  one,  '  are  there  people  in  the  moon  and  in  the 
stars,  them  great  worlds  that  look  to  us  so  like  candles  in 
the  sky  ?'  '  That  question,  my  child,'  said  the  mother,  '  I 
cannot  answer.'  '  I  believe,'  said  the  child,  that  th^re  are 


110  LOVE   OF   CHILDREN. 

» 

people  in  the  moon,  and  in  all  the  stars.'  '  Why  ?'  asked  her 
mother.  '  Because  I  don't  believe  God  would  make  such 
big  and  beautiful  worlds  without  making  people  to  live  in 
them.'  What  more  has  the  profoundest  philosopher  who 
ever  lived  said,  to  prove  that  those  mighty  worlds  which  are 
seen  in  the  heavens  at  night,  that  are  scattered  all  through 
the  universe  of  God,  rolling  forever  on  their  everlasting 
rounds,  are  peopled  by  living,  moving,  sentient  beings  ?" 


CHAPTER  XL 

A  CONVENTION  BROKEN  UP  IN  A  ROW — THE  CHAIRMAN  EJECTED. 

WE  sent  forward  our  boatman  with  the  luggage  early  in 
the  morning,  up  Bog  River  towards  Mud  Lake,  the  source 
of  the  right  branch  of  that  river,  lying  some  thirty  miles 
deeper  in  the  wilderness,  counting  the  sinuosities  of  the 
stream,  and  said  to  be  the  highest  body  of  water  in  all  this 
wild  region.  We  were  to  spend  the  day  on  Tupper's  Lake, 
and  follow  him  the  next  morning.  Our  boatman  built  for 
our  accommodation,  a  brush  shanty  in  the  place  of  our  tents. 
We  rowed  about  this  beautiful  sheet  of  water,  exploring  its 
secluded  bays  and  romantic  islands,  trying  experiments  with 
the  trout  wherever  a  stream  came  down  from  the  hills,-  and 
trolling  for  lake  trout  while  crossing  the  lake.  Near  the 
shore,  on  the  west  bank,  perhaps  half  a  mile  from  the  falls, 
is  one  of  the  coldest,  purest  and  most  beautiful  springs  that 
I  ever  met  with.  It  comes  up  into  a  little  basin  some  six  or 
eight  feet  in  diameter,  by  two  or  three  in  depth.  The  bot- 
tom is  of  loose  white  sand  which  is  all  in  commotion,  by  the 

in 


112  GRINDSTONE   BEOOK. 

constant  boiling  up  of  the  clear  cold  water.  From  this  basin 
a  little  stream  goes  rippling  and  laughing  to  the  lake.  To- 
wards evening  we  returned  to  our  shanty  with  abundance 
of  fish  for  supper  and  breakfast,  taken,  as  I  said,  in  simply 
trying  experiments  as  to  where  they  were  to  be  found  in  the 
greatest  abundance. 

If  any  sportsman  who  may  drift  out  this  way,  is  fond  of 
taking  the  speckled  trout — little  fellows,  weighing  from  a 
quarter  of  a  pound  down,  the  same  he  meets  with  in  the 
streams  of  Vermont,  in  Massachusetts,  in  Northern  Pennsyl- 
vania, and  Western  New  York,  let  him  provide  himself  with 
angle-worms,  and  row  to  the  head  of  the  lake.  A  short 
distance  east  of  where  Bog  River  enters,  say  from  a  quarter 
to  half  a  mile,  he  will  find  a  cold  mountain  stream.  Let 
him  rig  for  brook-fishing  and  take  to  that  stream.  If  he 
does  not  fill  his  basket  in  a  little  while,  he  may  set  it  down 
to  the  score  of  bad  luck,  or  some  lack  of  skill  on  his  part  in 
taking  them,  for  the  brook  trout  are  there  in  abundance. 
Across  the  lake  from  Long  Island,  to  the  right  as  you  go 
up  the  lake,  is  a  bay  that  goes  away  in  around  a  woody 
point.  At  the  head  of  this  bay,  "  Grindstone  Brook"  enters. 
It  is  a  smallish  stream,  and  comes  dashing  down  over  shelv- 
ing rocks  some  thirty  feet,  and  shoots  out  into  the  bay 
among  broken  rocks,  and  loose  boulders.  The  waters  of 
this  stream  are  much  colder  than  those  of  the  lake.  Let 
the  sportsman  row  carefully  up  towards  the  mouth  of  this 
stream,  along  towards  evening  of  a  hot  day,  when  the  sha- 
dow of  the  hill  reaches  far  out  over  the  lake,  and  cast  his 


CONFIDENTIAL   REVELATIONS.  113 

fly  across  the  little  current,  and  if  he  does  not  take  as  beau- 
tiful  a  string  of  river  trout  as  can  be  found  in  these  parts, 
let  him  set  it  down  to  the  score  of  accident,  for  the  trout 
are  there  in  the  warm  days  of  August.  If  he  has  a  curi- 
osity to  know  what  there  is  above  these  Little  Falls,  let  him 
try  his  angle-worms  in  the  brook  just  over  the  ridge,  and  he 
will  find  out.  I  claim  to  have  discovered  these  choice  fish- 
ing places  some  seasons  since,  and  have  kept  them  for  my 
own  private  use  and  amusement.  Nobody  seemed  to  know 
of  them.  When  the  trout  refused  to  be  taken  elsewhere,  I 
have  always  found  them  here,  abundant,  greedy,  and  ready 
to  be  taken  by  any  decently  skillful  effort.  I  regard  these 
places  as  in  some  sort  my  private  property,  and  I  mention 
them  privately  and  in  confidence  to  the  reader,  trusting  that 
my  right  will  be  respected. 

We  finished  our  evening  meal  while  the  sun  was  yet  above 
the  western  hills,  and  sat  with  our  pipes  around  a  smudge, 
made  upon  the  broad  flat  rock,  which  recedes  with  a  gentle 
acclivity  from  the  shore,  where  the  Bog  River  enters  the 
lake,  looking  out  over  the  stirless  waters.  It  was  a  beauti- 
ful view,  so  calm,  so  still  and  placid,  and  yet  so  wild.  The 
islands  seemed  to  stand  but  clear  from  the  water,  to  be 
lifted  up,  as  it  were,  from  the  lake,  so  perfectly  moveless  and 
polished  was  its  surface.  On  a  grassy  point  to  the  right, 
and  a  hundred  rods  distant,  two  deer  were  quietly  feeding, 
while  in  a  little  bay  on  the  left,  a  brood  of  young  ducks  were 
sporting  and  skimming  along  the  water  in  playful  gyrations 
around  their  staid  and  watchful  mother.  On  the  outstretched 


114:  MARKING   THE   HARMONIES. 

arm  of  a  dead  tree  on  the  island  before  us,  sat  a  bald  eagle, 
pluming  himself;  and  high  above  the  lake  the  osprey  soared* 
turning  his  piercing  eye  downward,  watching  for  his  prey. 

"  I've  been  thinking,"  said  Smith,  as  he  refilled  his  pipe, 
"  of  what  the  Doctor  was  saying  the  other  evening  about 
every  body  having  a  streak  of  the  vagabond  in  him,  which 
makes  him  relish  an  occasional  tramp  in  the  old  woods 
among  the  natural  things  ;  things  that  have  not  been  mar- 
red by  the  barbarisms,  so  to  speak,  of  civilization.  I'm 
inclined  to  believe  his  theory  to  be  true,  but  I  see  a  difficulty 
in  its  practical  working.  Now,  suppose,  Doctor,  that  you  and 
I  being  out  here  together  vagabondizing,  as  you  term  it,  and 
your  streak  of  the  vagabond  being  twice  as  large  as  mine, 
you  would  of  course  desire  to  play  the  savage  twice  as  long 
as  I  should.  There  would,  in  that  case,  be  a  marring  of  the 
harmonies.  I  should  be  anxious  to  get  back  to  civilization, 
while  you,  being  rather  in  your  normal  element,  would  in- 
sist upon  'laying  around  loose,'  as  you  say,  for  Mercy 
knows  how  long." 

"  Gentlemen,"  said  the  Doctor  in  reply,  "  only  hear  this 
fellow  1  He's  getting  homesick  already.  He  has  no  wife, 
not  a  child  in  the  world,  no  business,  nothing  to  call  him 
home  save  a  superannuated  pointer,  and  an  old  Tom  cat,  and 
yet  he  would  leave  these  glorious  old  woods,  these  beautiful 
lakes,  these  rivers,  these  trout  and  deer,  and  all  the  glad 
music  of  the  wild  things,  to-morrow,  and  go  back  to  the 
dust,  the  poisoned  atmosphere,  the  eternal  jostling  and  mo- 
notonous noises  of  the  city  !  Truly  a  vagabond  and  a 


A  (XttTTENTION   BROKEN   UP   IN   A   BOW.  115 

savage  is  Smith.    He's  afraid  that  his  family,  his  mangy  old 
pointer  and  dropsical  cat,  will  suffer  in  his  absence." 

"  I  scorn  to  answer  such  an  accusation,"  retorted  Smith, 
"  I  shall  treat  it  with  dignified  contempt,  as  I  do  the  Doc- 
tor's medicines,  which  I  never  take  but  always  pay  for,  just 
to  k6ep  him  from  starving,  and  to  make  him  imagine  he  cures 
me.  But  speaking  of  cats  reminds  me  of  a  certain  matter 
which  occurred  not  many  years  ago.  The  Doctor  here,  if 
his  testimony  could  be  relied  upon,  knows  that  I  used  to 
be  troubled  with  indigestion,  and  was  sometimes  a  little 
nervous  " 

"A-littk  nervous  1"  interrupted  the  Doctor,  "  why  he  would 
be  as  crazy  with  the  hypo  as  a  March  hare.  He  would  in- 
sist that  he  was  going  to  die,  or  to  the  almshouse.  He  has 
made  two  or  three  dozen  wills,  to  my  certain  knowledge, 
under  the  firm  conviction  that  he  would  be  in  the  ground  in 
a  week.  A  titik  nervous,  indeed!" 

"Well,"  said  Smith,  "we  won't  quarrel  about  the  degree 
of  my  nervousness.  But  in  regard  to  what  I  was  going  to 
say  about  cats.  Some  years  ago  I  occupied  a  suite  of  rooms 
in  the  second  story  of  a  house  rented  by  a  widow  lady,  to 
whom  I  had  been  under  some  obligations  in  my  boyhood, 
and  whom  my  mother  always  regarded  as  her  best  friend." 
(Smith  supported  the  excellent  old  lady  in  comfort  for  a 
decade,  under  pretence  of  boarding  with  her,  ministering  to 
the  last  years  of  her  life  with  the  care  and  affection  of  a 
son.)  "  The  landlord  of  the  premises  was  the  owner  of  a 
block  of  twelve  houses — six  on  Pearl  street,  and  six  on 


116  A   CONVENTION   BROKEN  UP  IN  A  BOW. 

Broadway,  the  lots  meeting  midway  between  the  two  streets. 
On  the  rear  of  these  lots  are  the  out-houses,  all  under  a  con- 
tinuous flat  roof,  some  twelve  feet  high,  twenty  wide,  and 
say  a  hundred  and  fifty  feet  long.  In  the  rear  of  the  Broad- 
way dwelling-houses,  are  one  story  tea-rooms,  or  third  par- 
lors, the  roofs  of  which  form  a  continuous  platform,  upon 
which  you  can  step  from  the  second  story  of  the  houses." 
"  Well,"  said  the  Doctor,  "  what  of  all  that  ?" 
"  There's  a  great  deal  of  it,"  Smith  replied.  "  I  don't  pre- 
tend to  know  how  many  cats  there  were  in  the  city  of 
Albany.  Indeed,  I  never  heard  that  they  were  included  in 
the  census.  I  do  not  undertake  to  say  that  they  all  congre- 
gated nightly  on  the  roofs  of  those  out-houses.  But  if  there 
was  a  cat  in  the  sixth  ward,  that  didn't  have  something  to 
say  on  that  roof  every  night,  I  should  like  to  make  its  ac- 
quaintance. I  am  against  cats.  I  regard  them  as  treacher- 
ous, ungrateful  animals,  and  as  having  very  small  moral 
developments  generally.  I  am  against  c^-terwauling,  espe- 
cially in  the  night  season,  when  honest  people  have  a  right 
to  their  natural  sleep.  I  don't  like  to  be  woke  up,  when 
rounding  a  pleasant  dream,  by  their  growling  and  screaming, 
spitting  and  whining,  groaning  and  crying,  and  the  hundred 
other  nameless  noises  by  which  they  frighten  sleep  from  our 
pillows. 

"  Well,  one  night,  it  may  have  been  one  o'clock,  or  two, 
or  three,  I  was  awakened  by  the  awfullest  screaming  and 
sputtering,  growling  and  swearing,  that  ever  startled  a 
weary  man  from  his  slumbers.  I  leaped  out  of  bed  under 


A  CONVENTION  BBOKEN  UP  IN  A  BOW.  117 

the  impression  that  at  least  twenty  little  children  had  fallen 
into  as  many  tnbs  of  boiling  water.  I  threw  open  the  win- 
dow and  stepped  out  upon  the  roof  of  the  tea-room.  I  don't 
intend  to  exaggerate,  but  I  honestly  believe  that  there  were 
less  than  three  hundred  cats  over  against  me,  on  the  roofe 
of  the  out-houses ;  each  one  of  which  had  a  tail  bigger 
than  a  Bologna  sausage,  his  back  crooked  up  like  an  oxbow, 
and  his  great  round  eyes  gleaming  fiercely  in  the  moonlight, 
putting  in  his  very  best  in  the  way  of  catterwauling.  Two 
of  the  largest,  one  black  as  night  and  the  other  a  dark 
grey  or  brindle,  appeared  to  be  particularly  in  earnest,  and 
the  way  they  scolded,  and  screamed,  and  swore  at  each 
other  was  a  sin  to  hear.  I  won't  undertake  to  report  all 
they  said  ;  a  decent  regard  for  the  proprieties  of  language, 
compels  me  to  give  only  a  sketch  of  the  debate. 

"  'You  infernal^  big-tailed,  hump-backed,  ugly-mugged  thief,' 
screamed  the  grey,  '  I'd  like  to  know  what  you  are  out  here 
for  this  time  of  night,  skulking,  and  creeping,  and  nosing 
about  in  the  dark,  poaching  upon  other  people's  preserves  ?' 

«  <  yery  well !  mighty  well  1'  was  the  reply,  '  for  you  to 
talk,  you  black-skinned,  ogre-eyed,  growling  and  sputtering 
robber,  to  come  upon  this  roof,  sticking  up  your  back  and 
taking  airs  on  yourself.  I'd  like  to  know  what  business 
you've  got  to  be  prowling  about  and  crowding  yourself  into 
honest  people's  company  ?' 

" '  I'm  a  regular  Tom  Cat,  I'd  have  you  know,  and  go  where 
I  please,  and  I'll  stand  none  of  your  big  talk  and  insolent 
looks/ 


118  A  CONVENTION   BROKEN   UP   IN   A  BOW. 

"  '  Insolent  !  Hear  the  cowardly  thief  I  Insolent !  Very 
well,  Mr.  Tom  Cat !  very  good,  indeed  !  Now,  just  take 
your  black  skin  off  of  this  roof,  or  you'll  get  what  will  make 
you  look  cross-eyed  for  a  month.' 

"  '  Get  off  this  roof,  I  think  you  said.  Look  at  this  set 
of  ivory,  and  these  claws,  old  greyback  1  If  you  want  I 
should  leave  this  roof,  just  come  and  put  me  off.  Try 
it  on,  old  Beeswax.  Yes,  yes !  try  it  on  once,  and  we'll 
see  whose  eyes  will  look  straightest  in  the  morning  I  Come 
on,  old  Humpback  !  Try  it  on,  old  Sausage  Tail  1' 

"  And  then  they  pitched  in,  and  such  scratching  and  growl- 
ing, scolding  and  swearing,  and  biting,  and  rolling  over  and 
over,  I  never  happened  to  see  or  hear  before.  About  that 
time  I  dropped  a  boulder  of  coal,  taken  from  the  scuttle, 
weighing  about  half  a  pound,  right  among  them  (accidently 
of  course).  Whether  it  hit  anyone  I  can't  positively  affirm, 
but  I  heard  a  dull  heavy  sound,  a  kind  of  chug,  as  if  it  had 
struck  against  something  soft,  and  the  scream  of  one  of  the 
belligerents  was  brought  to  a  sudden  stop,  by  a  sort  of  hys- 
terical jerk,  as  though  there  had  been  a  sudden  lack  of  wind 
to  carry  it  on.  It  put  an  end  to  the  disturbance,  and  all  the 
rioters,  save  one,  scampered  away.  That  one  remained,  all 
doubled  up  in  a  heap  like,  as  if  it  had  the  sick  headache,  or 
been  attacked  with  a  sudden  inflammation  of  the  bowels. 
If  any  body's  cat  was  found  the  next  morning  with  a  swelled 
head,  or  a  great  bunch  on  its  side,  and  seemed  dumpish,  it's 
my  private  opinion  that  that's  the  one  that  lump  of  coal  fell 
upon. 


A  CONVENTION   BROKEN   UP   IN   A   ROW.  119 

"  Still  it  did'nt  do  much  good  in  the  way  of  relieving  me 
from  the  annoyance  of  these  cat  conventions.  They  con- 
tinued to  congregate  nightly  on  that  long  shed  in  the  rear 
of  my  rooms.  I  wasted  more  wood  upon  them  than  I  could 
well  afford  to  spare.  I  used  up  all  the  brickbats  I  could  lay 
my  hands  on.  I  threw  away  something  less  than  a  ton  of 
coal ;  and  on  two  occasions  came  near  being  taken  to  the 
watch-house  for  smashing  a  window  in  the  opposite  block. 
All  this  proved  of  no  avail.  Indeed,  my  tormentors  began 
at  last  to  get  used  to  it,  to  regard  it  as  part  of  the  perform- 
ance. 

"  The  matter  was  getting  serious.  It  became  evident  that 
either  those  cats  or  myself  must  leave  the  premises.  I  had 
paid  my  rent  in  advance,  and  was  therefore  entitled  to 
quiet  use  and  enjoyment,  according  to  the  terms  of  my  lease. 
I  made  up  my  mind  to  try  one  more  experiment.  So  I 
bought  me  a  double-barrelled  gun,  and  a  quantity  of  powder 
and  shot,  and  gave  fair  warning  that  I  intended  to  use 
them. 

"  Well,  the  moon  came  up  one  night,  with  her  great  round 
face,  and  went  walking  up  the  sky  with  a  queenly  tread, 
throwing  her  light,  like  a  mantle  of  brightness,  over  all  the 
earth.  I  love  the  calm  of  a  moonlight  night,  in  the  pleasant 
spring  time,  and  the  cats  of  our  part  of  the  town  seemed  to 
love  it  too,  for  they  came  from  every  quarter  ;  from  the 
sheds  around  the  National  Garden,  from  the  stables,  the 
streets,  the  basements,  and  the  kitchens,  creeping  stealthily 
along  the  tops  of  the  fences,  and  along  the  sheds,  and  clam- 


1.20  A  CONVENTION   BROKEN   UP   IN   A   BOW. 

bering  up  the  boards  that  leaned  up  against  the  outbuildings, 
and  set  themselves  down,  scores  or  less  of  them,  in  their  old 
trysting  place,  right  opposite  my  chamber  windows.  To  all 
this  I  had  in  the  abstract  no  objection.  If  a  cat  chooses  to 
take  a  quiet  walk  by  moonlight,  if  he  chooses  to  go  out  for 
his  pleasure  or  his  profit,  it  is  no  particular  business  of  mine, 
and  I  have'nt  a  word  to  say.  Cats  have  rights,  and  I  have 
no  disposition  to  interfere  with  them.  If  they  choose  to  hold 
a  convention  to  discuss  the  affairs  of  rat-and-mousedom,  they 
can  do  it  for  all  me.  But  they  must  go  about  it  decently 
and  in  order.  They  must  talk  matters  over  calmly  ;  there 
must  be  no  rioting,  no  fighting.  They  must  refrain  from  the 
use  of  profane  language — they  must  not  swear.  There's  law 
against  all  this,  and  I  had  warned  them  long  before  that  I 
would  stand  no  such  nonsense.  I  told  them  frankly  that  I'd 
let  drive  among  them  some  night  with  a  double-barrelled 
gun,  loaded  with  powder  and  duck-shot — and  I  »eant  it. 
But  those  cats  did'nt  believe  a  word  I  said.  They  did'nt 
believe  I  had  any  powder  and  shot.  They  did'nt  believe  I 
had  any  gun,  or  knew  how  to  use  it,  if  I  had  ;  and  one  great 
Maltese,  with  eyes  like  tea-plates,  and  a  tail  like  a  Bologna 
sausage,  grinned  and  sputtered,  and  spit,  in  derision  and  de- 
fiance of  my  threats.  '  Very  well !'  said  I.  '  Very  well, 
Mr.  TOM  CAT  !  very  well,  indeed  1  On  your  head  be  it,  Mr. 
TOM  CAT  !  Try  it  on,  Mr.  TOM  CAT,  and  we'll  see  who'll  get 
the  worst  of  it.' 

"  Well,  as  I  said,  the  moon  came  up  one  night,  with  her 
great  round  face,  and  all  the  little  stars  hid  themselves,  as 


A   CONVENTION    BROKEN    UP    IN    A    KOW.  121 

if  ashamed  of  their  twinkle  in  the  splendor  of  her  superior 
Brightness.  I  retired  when  the  rumble  of  the  carriages  in 
the  streets,  and  the  tramp  on  the  stone  sidewalks  had  ceased, 
and  the  scream  of  the  eleven  o'clock  train  had  died  away 
into  silence,  with  a  quiet  conscience,  and  in  the  confidence 
that  I  should  find  that  repose  to  which  one  who  has  wronged 
no  man  during  the  day,  is  justly  entitled. 

"  It  may  have  been  midnight,  or  one  o'clock,  or  two,  when 
I  was  awakened  from  a  pleasant  slumber,  by  a  babel  of  un- 
earthly sounds  in  the  rear  of  my  chamber.  I  knew  what 
those  sounds  meant,  for  they  had  cost  me  fuel  enough  to 
have  lasted  a  month.  I  raised  the  window,  and  there,  as  of 
old,  right  opposite  me,  on  the  north  end  of  that  long  shed, 
was  an  assemblage  of  all  the  cats  in  that  part  of  the  town. 
I  won't  be  precise  as  to  numbers,  but  it  is  my  honest  belief 
that  there  was  less  than  three  hundred  of  them  ;  and  if  one 
among  them  all  was  silent,  I  did  not  succeed  in  discovering 
which  it  was.  There  was  that  same  old  Maltese,  with  his 
saucer  eyes  and  sausage  tail ;  and  over  against  him  sat  a 
monstrous  brindle  ;  and  off  at  the  right  was  an  old  spotted 
ratter  ;  and  on  his  left  was  one  black  as  a  wolf's  mouth,  all 
but  his  eyes,  which  glared  with  a  sulphurous  and  lurid  bright- 
ness ;  and  dotted  all  around,  over  a  space  some  thirty  feet 
square,  were  dozens  more,  of  all  sizes  and  colors,  and  such 
growling  and  spitting,  and  shrieking,  and  swearing,  never  be- 
fore broke,  with  hideous  discord,  the  silence  of  midnight. 

"  I  loaded  my  double-barrelled  gun  by  candle-light  I  put 
plenty  of  powder  and  a  handful  of  shot  into  each  barrel.  I 

6 


122  THE   CHAIRMAN  EJECTED. 

adjusted  the  caps  carefully,  and  stepped  out  of  the  window, 
upon  the  narrow  roof  upon  which  it  opens.  I  was  then 
just  eighty  feet  from  that  cat  convention.  I  addressed 
myself  to  the  chairman  (the  old  Maltese)  in  a  distinct  and 
audible  voice  and  said,  '  SCAT  1'  He  did'nt  recognise  my 
right  to  the  floor,  but  went  right  on  with  the  business  of  the 
meeting.  '  SCAT  !'  cried  I,  more  emphatically  than  before, 
but  was  answered  only  by  an  extra  shriek  from  the  chairman, 
and  a  fiercer  scream  from  the  whole  assembly.  '  SCAT  I 
once,'  cried  I  again,  as  I  brought  my  gun  to  a  present. 
'  SCAT  !  twice,'  and  I  aimed  straight  at  the  chairman,  covering 
half  a  dozen  others  in  the  range.  '  SCAT  !  three  times,'  and 
I  let  drive.  Bang  !  went  the  right-hand  barrel ;  and  bang  t 
went  the  left-hand  barrel.  Such  scampering,  such  leaping 
off  the  shed,  such  running  away  over  the  eaves  of  the  out- 
buildings, over  the  tops  of  the  wood-sheds,  were  never  seen 
before.  The  echoes  of  the  firing  had  scarcely  died  away, 
when  that  whole  assemblage  was  broken  up  and  dispersed. 

"  '  Thomas/  said  I,  the  next  morning  to  the  boy  who  did 
chores  for  us,  '  there  seems  to  be  a  cat  asleep  out  on  that 
woodshed,  go  up  and  scare  it  away.' 

"  Thomas  clambered  upon  the  shed  and  went  up  to  where 
that  cat  lay,  and  lifting  it  up  by  the  tail,  hallood  back  to 
me,  '  This  cat  can't  be  waked  up  ;  it  can't  be  scared  away 
— its  dead  V  After  examining  it  for  a  moment — '  Some- 
body's .been  a  shootin'  on  it,  by  thunder,'  as  he  tossed  it  down 
into  the  yard. 

" '  You  don't  say  so  I'  said  I. 


A  QTJELLEE   OF   MIDNIGHT   EIOTINGB.  123 

"  That  cat  was  the  old  Maltese — the  chairman  of  that  con- 
vention. I  don't  know  where  he  boarded,  or  who  claimed 
title  to  him.  What  I  do  know  is,  that  it  cost  me  a  quarter 
to  have  him  buried,  or  thrown  into  the  river  ;  and  that  I 
was  suffered  to  sleep  in  peace  from  the  time  I  made  the  dis- 
covery that  powder  and  lead  are  great  queUers  of  midnight 
rioting.  They  gave  me  quiet  at  least,  and  saved  me  from 
the  wickedness  of  the  nightly  use  of  certain  expletives,  under 
the  excitement  of  the  occasion,  which  are  not  to  be  found  in 
any  of  the  religious  works  of  the  day." 


CHAPTER  XIL 

THE    FIRST     CHAIN     OF    PONDS — SHOOTING     BY     TURNS SHEEP 

WASHING A     PLUNGE    AND     A    DIVE A    ROLAND     FOR    AN 

OLIVER. 

WE  started  early  the  next  morning  up  Bog  River,  intend- 
ing to  reach  the  "  first  chain  of  ponds,"  some  twenty  miles 
deeper  in  the  wilderness,  as  the  stream  runs,  on  the  banks 
of  which  our  pioneer  had  been  instructed  to  pitch  our  tents. 
This  day's  journey,  it  was  understood,  would  be  a  hard  one, 
as  there  were  eight  carrying  places,  varying  from  ten  rods 
to  half  a  mile  in  length.  The  Bog  River  is  a  deep,  sluggish 
stream  for  five  or  six  miles  above  the  falls,  just  at  the  lake. 
It  goes  creeping  along,  among,  and  around  immense  boulders, 
thrown  loose,  as  it  were,  in  mid  channel.  At  this  distance, 
the  stream  divides,  the  right  hand  channel  leading  to  the 
two  chains  of  ponds  and  Mud  Lake,  where  it  takes  its  rise  ; 
and  the  left  to  Round  Pond,  and  little  Tupper's  Lake,  and  a 
dozen  other  nameless  sheets  of  water,  laying  higher  up 
among  the  mountains.  Our  course  lay  up  the  right  hand 
m 


THE   FIRST   CHAIN   OF  PONDS.  125 

channel,  which,  for  half  a  mile  above  the  forks,  comes  roar- 
ing and  tumbling  through  a  mountain  gorge,  plunging  over 
falls,  and  whirling  and  surging  among  the  boulders,  in  a  de- 
scent of  three  or  four  hundred  feet  in  all.  Around  these,  and 
seven  other  rapids  of  greater  or  less  extent,  our  boats  had 
to  be  carried. 

We  reached  the  lower  chain  of  ponds  within  an  hour  of 
sunset,  and  found  our  tents  pitched  at  a  pleasant  spot  which 
looked  out  over  the  easternmost  one  of  these  beautiful  little 
lakelets.  There  are  three  of  them,  connected  together  by 
narrow  passages  or  straits,  the  banks  of  which,  as  the  boat 
glides  along,  the  oars  will  touch.  They  are  surrounded  by  low 
but  pleasant  hills,  so  arranged  as  to  form  a  varied  but  de- 
lightful scenery.  From  the  western  one,  the  hills  rise  from  the 
water  with  a  steep  acclivity,  covered  with  a  gigantic  growth 
of  timber,  save  on  the  northern  side,  where  a  pleasant  natural 
meadow,  covered  with  rank  grass  and  a  few  spruce  and  fir 
trees,  stretches  away.  It  contains  about  two  hundred  acres, 
and  its  waters  are  deep  and  pure.  The  middle  one,  though 
smaller,  is  equally  beautiful,  skirted  on  three  sides  with 
wood-covered  hills,  and  on  the  other  by  a  continuation  of  the 
same  natural  meadow.  The  eastern  one,  on  the  western 
banks  of  which  our  tents  were  located  on  a  beautiful  little 
bay,  is  the  prettiest  of  them  all.  It  contains  perhaps  six 
hundred  acres,  and  the  scenery  around  it  is  exceedingly  cheer- 
ful and  pleasant.  The  northern  shore  is  bound  by  a  natural 
meadow  of  luxuriant  wild  grass,  between  which  and  the 
water  is  a  hard  sandy  beach,  at  low  water  some  thirty  feet 


126  SHOOTING   BY   TTJRN8. 

wide,  and  extending  between  a  quarter  and  half  a  mile  in 
length. 

As  we  approached  these  ponds,  the  river  became  broad 
and  shallow.  Natural  meadows,  covered  with  tall  grass  and 
weeds,  stretching  away  on  either  hand.  When  we  came  to 
this  portion  of  the  river,  the  oars  were  shipped,  and  our  boat- 
men took  their  seats  in  the  stern  with  their  paddles.  Smith 
was  in  the  bow  of  one  boat,  and  Spalding  in  that  of  the 
other,  each  with  rifle  in  hand,  preparatory  to  the  slaughter 
of  a  deer,  to  provide  us  with  venison.  It  was  arranged  that 
the  marksman  who  fired  and  failed  to  secure  his  game, 
should  change  places  with  the  one  behind  him,  and  that  thus 
the  rotation  should  go  on,  till  we  should  bring  down  a  deer. 
We  knew  that  we  should  see  numbers  of  them  feeding  along 
the  margin  of  the  stream,  and  upon  the  natural  meadows 
that  skirted  the  shore.  The  stream  was  winding  and  tortu- 
ous, and  at  no  time  could  we  see  more  than  five-and-twenty 
rods  in  advance  of  us,  so  crooked  is  its  course. 

We  were  moving  up  the  stream  cautiously  and  silently  ; 
the  boatman  who  had  charge  of  the  craft  in  which  were 
Smith  and  myself,  seated  in  the  stern,  paddling,  and  Smith 
himself  seated  in  the  bow,  with  rifle  in  hand,  ready  for  any- 
thing that  might  turn  up.  As  the  boat  rounded  a  point,  a 
deer  started  out  from  among  the  reeds  on  the  right,  and 
went  dashing  and  snorting  across  the  river  directly  in  front 
of  the  boat,  and  five  or  six  rods  ahead,  the  water  being  only 
'about  two  feet  in  depth.  Smith  blazed  away  at  him ;  where 
the  ball  went,  Mercy  knows  ;  but  the  deer  dashed  forward 


SHOOTING   BY   TURNS.  127 

with  accelerated  speed,  and  a  louder  whistle,  and  went 
crashing  up  the  hill-side.  Smith  acknowledged  to  a  severe 
attack  of  the  Buck  fever.  It  was  now  my  turn  to  take  the 
next  shot;  and  changing  places  with  Smith,  we  went  ahead. 
In  ten  minutes  a  chance  to  try  my  skill  occurred.  But  it 
was  a  long  shot,  the  game  was  "  on  the  wing,"  and  I  had  no 
better  success  than  did  my  friend.  The  deer  only  increased 
the  length  of  his  bounds,  and  he  too  went  plrnging  through 
the  old  woods,  snorting  in  astonishment,  and  huge  affright 
at  what  ife  had  seen  and  heard. 

Our  boat  now  fell  back,  and  Spalding  and  the  Doctor  took 
the  lead.  In  a  short  time,  a  deer  was  discovered  feeding 
just  ahead  of  us  on  the  lily  pads  along  the  shore.  The 
boatman  paddled  silently  up  to  within  eight  or  ten  rods  of 
him.  Spalding  sighted  him  long  and,  as  he  averred,  care- 
fully with  his  rifle.  The  deer  fed  and  fed  on,  and  we  waited 
anxiously  to  hear  the  crack  of  the  rifle,  and  see  the  deer  go 
down  ;  but  still  the  boat  glided  on  unnoticed  by  the  animal 
that  was  feeding  in  unsuspecting  security.  At  length  he  raised 
his  head,  threw  forward  his  long  ears,  gazed  for  a  second 
intently  at  his  enemies,  and  then  appreciating  his  danger, 
snorted  like  a  warhorse  and  plunged  in  a  seeming  despera- 
tion of  terror  towards  the  shore.  He  had  ran  a  few  rods 
when  Spalding  let  drive  at  him,  as  he  confessed,  at  random. 
The  ball  went  wide  of  the  mark,  and  the  game  dashed,  with 
more  desperate  energy,  and  whistling  and  snorting  like  a 
locomotive,  into  the  brush  that  lined  the  banks.  It  was 
Spalding's  third  shot  in  all  his  life  at  a  deer,  and  he  insisted, 


128  SHOOTING   BY   TUBNS. 

gravely  enough,  that  he  did  not  fire  while  the  game  was 
standing  broadside  to  him,  on  account  of  his  desire  to  give 
the  animal' a  chance  for  his  life.  The  truth  is,  that  Spalding 
had  a  bad,  a  very  bad  attack  of  the  aforesaid  Buck  fever. 

The  Doctor,  by  rotation,  now  became  the  leading  marks- 
man. He  was  cool  and  calm,  as  if  going  to  perform  some 
delicate  surgical  operation.  We  soon  came  in  sight  of  a 
buck  feeding  in  a  shallow  pasture,  and  the  boat  glided 
quietly  within  fifteen  rods  of  it.  The  Doctor's  hand  was 
firm, -and  his  aim  steady.  There  was  about  him  none  of  that 
nervous  agitation  which  is  so  apt  to  disturb  the  first  efforts 
at  deer  slaying.  The  boat  came  to  a  pause  a  moment, 
when  his  rule  rang  out  quick  and  sharp,  waking  the  echoes 
of  the  mountains  around  and  reverberating  along  the  shore. 
At  the  crack  of  the  rifle,  the  buck  leaped  high  into  the  air, 
and  plunged  madly  towards  the  bank,  up  which  he  dashed 
with  a  prodigious  bound,  made  a  single  jump  among  the  tall 
grass,- and  disappeared  from  the  sight.  The  Doctor  was 
greatly  mortified,  supposing  he  had  missed.  He  declared 
solemnly  that  he  had  taken  steady  and  sure  aim  just  back  of 
the  fore-shoulders  of  the  deer,  had  a  perfect  sight  upon  it, 
and  that  it  did  not  fall  in  its  tracks,  could  only  be  owing  to 
its  bearing  a  charmed  life.  The  boatman,  however,  knew 
that  the  animal,  from  its  actions,  was  mortally  wounded. 
He  said  nothing,  but  paddled  quietly  to  the  shore,  and 
there,  just  over  the  bank,  in  the  tall  grass  and  weeds,  lay  the 
noble  buck,  stone  dead.  He  had  gone  down  and  died  with- 
out a  struggle.  A  proud  man  was  the  Doctor,  as  he  passed 


SHOOTING   BY   TUBNS.  129 

his  hunting-knife  across  the  throat  of  the  deer,  and  gazed 
upon  its  broad  antlers,  now  in  the  velvet,  pointing  to  the 
course  of  the  ball  right  through  its  vitals,  in  on  one  side  and 
out  on  the  other.  We  had  venison  for  the  next  four-and- 
twenty  hours,  and  we  disturbed  the  deer  no  more  that  after- 
noon. 

The  deep  baying  of  the  stag-hounds,  as  we  entered  the 
little  lake,  apprised  us  of  the  location  of  our  tents,  and  we 
were  gla4  to  reach  them,  and  stretch  our  limbs  upon  the 
bed  of  boughs  beneath  them,  for  the  day  had  been  warm, 
and  our  journey  a  weary  one.  •  Our  pioneer  had  made  the 
entire  journey  the  day  before,  though  he  had  to  pass  over  all 
the  carrying-places  three  times.  We  found  that  he  had 
killed  two  deer,  and  had  4he  meat  from  them,  cut  into  thin 
slips,  undergoing  the  process  of  "jerking,"  in  a  bark  smoke- 
house erected  near  the  tents.  He  had  also  a  beautiful 
string  of  trout  ready  for  our  supper,  taken  in  a  way  pecu- 
liarly his  own.  He  had  used  neither  bait  nor  fly. 

After  supper,  as  we  sat  looking  out  over  the  lake  in  front 
of  our  tents,  the  Doctor  inquired  of  our  pioneer  how  he  had 
taken  his  fish,  as  he  had  with  him  neither  rod  nor  flies,  and 
there  was  no  bait  to  be  found  in  the  woods  proper  for  trout. 

"  Why,"  said  he,  "I  got  lonesome  yesterday,  all  alone  up 
here  in  the  woods,  waiting  for  you,  and  I  thought  I'd  take 
a  look  around  the  shore  of  the  lake,  thinking  I  might  find  a 
gold  mine,  or  a  pocketful  of  diamonds,  or  something  of  that 
sort  ;  so  I  took  my  rifle  and  the  two  dogs,  and  started  on 
an  explorin'  voyage.  I  didn't  find  any  gold,  but  I  found, 

6* 


130  NOVEL  MODE   OF  FISHING. 

just  across  there  by  those  willows  and  alders,  a  cold  stream 
entered  the  lake,  and  right  in  the  mouth  of  it  the  trout  were 
lyin'  as  thick  as  your  fingers.  They  were  fine  little  fellows 
as  I  ever  happened  to  see,  weighing  about  a  quarter  of  a 
pound  each.  I  had  a  hook  or  two,  and  a  piece  of  twine  in 
my  pocket,  but  they  were  of  no  sort  of  use  in  common 
fishin',  for  I  had  no  kind  of  bait,  and  couldn't  get  any.  After 
thinking  the  matter  over,  I  concluded  I'd  see  if  I  couldn't  bag 
some  of  them  in  a  quiet  way.  So  I  cut  me  a  long  pole,  tied 
the  hook  and  line  to  the  end  of  it,  and  reaching  out  over  the 
water,  dropped  quietly  down  among  them.  I  let  the  line 
drift  gently  up  against  the  one  I  wanted.  He  didn't  seem 
to  mind  it,  but  was  rather  pleased  as  the  line  tickled  his 
sides.  After  letting  it  lay  there  a«ioment,  I  jerked  suddenly, 
and  up  came  the  trout  clean  over  my  head  on  to  the  flat  rock 
behind  me.  However  this  might  have  astonished  him,  it 
didn't  seem  to  disturb  the  rest.  In  that  way  I  caught  all  I 
wanted,  and  could  have  caught  a  bushel.  It  isn't  a  very 
science  way  of  fishin',  but  it  answers  when  a  man  is  hungry, 
and  hasn't  got  any  bait  or  fly." 

"  I  scarcely  know  why,"  said  the  Doctor,  "  but  Cullen's 
account  of  catching  his  trout,  reminds  me  of  a  circumstance 
which  occurred  when  I  was  a  boy,  and  which  for  the  moment 
made  a  deal  of  sport.  I  have  not  probably  thought  of  it 
in  twenty  years,  but  it  comes  to  me  now  as  fresh  as  though 
it  were  the  occurrence  of  yesterday.  It  must  be,  as  Hank 
Wood  said  the  other  day,  that  a  thing  which  gets  fairly 
anchored  in  a  man's  mind,  remains  there  always,  and  covered 


SHEEP   WASHING.  131 

up  as  it  may  be  by  other  and  later  things,  it  can  never  be 
forgotten.  It  will  come  drifting  back  on  the  current  of 
memory,  fresh  and  palpable  as  ever. 

"Everybody  understands,  or  ought  to  understand,  how 
sheep  are  washed.  A  small  yard  is  built  on  the  bank  of 
a  stream  adjacent  to  a  deep  place.  One  side  of  which  is 
open  to  the  water,  and  into  which  the  flock  is  crowded. 
The  washers  take  their  places  in  the  water,  where  it  is  three 
or  four  feet  deep,  and  the  sheep  are  caught  by  others,  and 
tossed  to  them,  where  they  undergo  ablution  (an  operation 
by  the  way,  that  they  do  not  seem  altogether  to  enjoy), 
to  wash  the  dirt  and  gum  from  their  fleeces.  On  such 
occasiens,  it  is  regarded  as  a  lawful  thing,  a  standing  and 
ancient  practical  joke,  to  pitch  any  outsider,  who  may  hap- 
pen to  indulge  his  curiosity  by  stopping  to  look  on,  into  the 
stream.  If  he  is  verdant,  he  will  be  very  likely  to  be  in- 
veigled into  the  yard,  and  in  an  unguarded  moment,  be  made 
to  take  an  involuntary  dive,  head  foremost  into  the  water. 

"  A  few  rods  above  the  place  in  which  my  father  washed 
his  sheep,  was  an  old  dam,  the  apron  of  which  remained, 
and  beneath  which  was  a  basin  some  five  or  six  feet  in 
depth,  and  thirty  or  forty  feet  in  diameter,  filled  of  course 
with  water.  On  one  occasion,  a  man  who  was  employed 
to  catch  the  sheep,  was  one  of  those  shiftless,  good-natured, 
lazy  fellows,  to  be  found  in  almost  every  neighborhood,  who 
prefer  smoking  and  telling  stories  in  bar-rooms  to  regular 
work,  and  who  greatly  prefer  odd  jobs  to  consecutive  labor. 
Tom  G was  one  of  this  genus,  full  of  fun  and  mischief, 


132  SHEEP   WASHING. 

but  without  a  particle  of  real  malice  in  his  composition. 
As  he  was  busy  throwing  sheep  to  the  washer^  a  young 
fellow  from  the  neighboring  village  happened  that  way,  and 
becoming  somewhat  interested  in  the  process,  was  seduced 
by  Tom  G r,  inside  of  the  yard,  to  try  his  hand  at  catch- 
ing and  tossing  in  sheep.  About  the  second  or  third  one 
he  operated  upon,  his  treacherous  friend  stumbled  against 
him,  giving  him  a  tremendous  push,  and  with  a  sheep  in 
his  arms  he  drove  head  foremost  among  the  washers.  The 
water  was  cold,  and  there  was  a  good  deal  of  puffing  and 
blowing  about  the  time  his  head  came  above  the  surface. 
He  was  a  sensible  chap,  and  took  the  joke  as  a  wise  man 
should,  especially  when  the  odds  are  all  against  him,  albeit, 
it  was  somewhat  rude. 

"  He  came  out  on  the  other  side  of  the  stream,  and  after 
joining  in  the  laugh  against  himself,  and  taking  off  and  wring- 
ing his  garments,  he  wandered  up  to  the  apron  of  the  old 
dam,  and  stretching  himself  along  the  planks,  went  to  looking 
anxiously  down  into  the  deep  water.  After  a  while,  he  seemed 
to  have  discovered  something,  and  called  out  to  his  friend 
below,  '  I  say  Tom,  have  you  got  a  fishhook  in  your  pocket  ? 
Here  is  a  trout  that  will  weigh  two  pounds,  and  I  want  to 
hook  him  up.'  Now  Tom  was  a  fisherman,  and  a  big  trout 
was  his  weakness  ;  moreover,  he  was  never  without  half 
a  dozen  hooks  and  lines  in  his  pockets.  He  left  his  business 
at  once,  and  went  up  to  the  apron  to  assist  in  taking  the 
two-pound  trout.  A  pole  was  cut,  and  a  couple  of  feet  of 
line,  with  a  hook  attached,  was  fastened  a  little  way  from 


A  PLUNGE   AND   A   DIVE.  133 

the  top,  and  the  haft  of  the  hook  stuck  into  the  end  so  that 
by  a  little  force  it  might  be  removed,  and  Tom  and  his 
friend  got  upon  the  apron,  and  stooped  over  to  see  where 
the  great  trout  lay. 

" '  Here  he  is,  Tom,  just  under  the  edge  of  this  rock.' 
Tom  stretched  himself  over  to  get  a  view  of  the  fish,  when 
a  vigorous  shove  from  the  rear  sent  him  like  a  great  frog 
plump  towards  the  bottom  of  the  pool.  This  was  a  con- 
summation that  Tom  had  not  bargained  for,  but  there  was 
no  alternative  but  to  swim  for  the  shore,  dripping  like  a 
rat  from  a  flooded  sewer.  That  joke  had  two  points  to  it, 
and  Tom  G had  the  worst  of  them." 

"Your  anecdote,"  said  Smith,  "reminds  me  of  one  in 
which  I  was  an  actor,  and  which  was  impressed  upon  my 
mind  by  a  process  which  few  boys  are  fond  of,  but  which 
is  very  apt  to  make  the  impression  durable.  I  fished  for 
trout  once  without  line  or  hook.  I  got  a  fine  string  of  them, 
and  myself  into  a  pretty  kettle  of  fish  in  the  bargain.  On 
my  father's  farm,  as  it  was  when  I  was  a  boy,  was  a  stream 
that  came  down  through  a  gorge  in  the  mountains  that 
bounded  the  pleasant  valley  in  which  that  farm  lay.  In 
the  spring  freshets  and  the  summer  rains,  that  stream  was 
a  mighty  and  resistless  torrent,  that  came  roaring  and 
plunging  down  from  the  plain  above,  cascading  and  leaping 
down  ledges  and  rushing  though  a  gorge,  on  either  side 
of  which  precipices  of  solid  rock  stood  straight  up  two 
hundred  feet  in  height.  It  was  a  goodly  sight  to  see  that 
stream  when  its  back  was  up,  come  rushing  and  foaming, 


134  TROUTING   ON    SUNDAY. 

a  mighty  flood  from  the  deep  and  shadowy  gulf,  rolling  in 
its  resistless  course  great  boulders  of  tons  upon  tons  in  weight, 
and  eddying,  and  twisting,  and  roaring  onward  in  its  furious 
course  towards  the  lake.  In  the  summer  time  the  drouth 
lapped  up  its  waters,  and  it  dried  away  to  a  little  brook, 
trickling  over  the  falls,  and  went  winding,  a  small  streamlet, 
around  the  base  of  the  hill;  sometimes  it  disappeared  in 
the  gravel,  or  among  the  loose  stones,  save  here  and  there 
a  pool  of  narrow  limits  and  shallow  depth.  It  was  a  fine 
trout  stream  at  times.  Its  waters  were  cold  and  pure,  and 
the  brook  trout  loved  to  hide  away  under  the  great  smooth 
stones  or  shelving  rocks,  and  be  comfortable  in  the  shade, 
when  the  summer  sun  was  hot  and  fiery  in  the  sky.  When 
the  creek  was  low,  they  would  congregate  in  the  pools  and 
still  places,  and  hi  times  of  extreme  drouth,  might  be  seen 
huddled  together  in  such  places  in  great  numbers. 

"  My  father,  though  not  a  member  of  any  church,  was  strict 
in  his  family  discipline  in  regard  to  the  observance  of  the 
Sabbath,  the  breach  of  which,  on  the  part  of  his  children, 
was  very  apt  to  be  followed  by  consequences  not  the  most 
pleasant  in  the  world,  for  he  held  that  a  good  switch  was 
an  essential  article  of  household  furniture,  and  its  occasional 
use  a  cardinal  principle  in  the  philosophy  of  family  rule, 
One  Sunday,  when  I  was  some  ten  or  eleven  years  old,  when 
the  old  people  were  gone  to  meeting  (and  they  had  to  go 
eight  miles  to  find  a  meeting  house),  I,  with  an  older 
brother,  tired  of  lying  around  the  house,  concluded  to  take 
a  stroll  along  up  the  brook.  It  was  a  time  of  severe  drouth, 


TBOUTING   ON    SUNDAY.  135 

aud  the  stream  was  dried  up,  save  here  and  there  a  small 
pool,  clear  and  cold;  the  bottom  of  which  consisted  of 
smooth  and  clean-washed  stones  and  pebbles.  In  one  of 
these  was  a  number  of  beautiful  speckled  trout,  averaging 
maybe  a  quarter  of  a  pound  each  in  weight.  Here  was 
a  temptation  too  strong  to  be  resisted.  We  had  no  hooks 
or  lines  with  us,  and  would  not  have  ventured  to  use  them 
on  Sunday,  if  we  had.  That  would  have  been  fishing. 
But  the  taking  of  those  trout  with  our  hands  was  quite 
another  matter.  So,  rolling  our  pants  up  above  our  knees 
(there  was  no  use  of  talking  about  shoes  and  stockings  ; 
such  luxuries  were  not  within  the  range  of  indulgence  to 
boys  of  our  age  in  those  days,  save  in  the  frosts  and  snows 
of  winter,  and  stubbed  toes,  stone  bruises,  and  thorns  in 
the  feet,  come  floating  along  down  from  the  long  past,  like 
shadows  of  darkness  on  the  current  of  memory.  By  the 
way,  will  some  rich  man,  who  was  reared  in  the  country 
in  the  good  old  times  when  boys  went  barefooted  in  the 
summer  months,  when  chapped  feet,  stone  bruises,  stubbed 
toes,  and  thorns  that  pierced  and  festered  in  their  soles  were 
the  great  ills  that  'darkened  deepest  around  human  des- 
tiny/ solve  for  me  a  problem  of  the  human  mind  ?  Will 
he  tell  me  whether,  in  his  after  life,  when  he  was  the  owner 
of  broad  acres,  fine  houses,  piles  of  stocks  in  paying  corpo- 
rations, and  huge  deposits  in  solvent  banks,  he  ever  felt 
richer  or  prouder  when  counting  his  gains,  and  contemplat- 
ing the  aggregate  of  his  wealth,  than  he  did  when  he  pulled 
on  his  first  pair  of  boots  ?)  So,  as  I  said,  we-rolled  up  our 


136  A  ROLAND   FOB   AN   OLIVER. 

pants,  and  waded  in  for  the  trout.  We  caught  a  beautiful 
string  of  twenty  or  more,  took  them  home,  dressed  them 
nicely,  and  sat  them  carefully  away  in  the  cool  cellar.  We 
had  a  notion  that  the  greatness  of  the  prize  would  wipe 
away  the  offence  by  which  it  was  secured,  and  that  the 
delicious  breakfast  they  would  afford,  would  be  received 
as  a  sufficient  atonement  for  the  sin  of  having  taken  them 
on  a  Sunday.  But  we  were  never  more  mistaken  in  our 
lives.  My  father  went  into  the  cellar  for  some  purpose  in 
the  evening,  after  his  return  from  meeting,  and  discovered 
the  trout.  An  inquiry  was  instituted,  our  dereliction  was 
exposed,  and  we  were  promised  a  flogging.  Now  that  was 
a  promise,  which,  while  it  was  rarely  made,  was  never 
broken.  When  my  father  in  his  calm,  quiet  way,  made  up 
his  mind  and  so  expressed  it,  that  he  owed  one  of  his  boys 
a  flogging,tit  became,  as  it  were,  a  debt  of  honor,  what,  in 
modern  parlance,  would  be  termed  a  confidential  debt,  and 
he  to  whom  it  was  acknowledged  to  be  due,  became  a  pre- 
fered  creditor,  and  was  sure  to  be  paid. 

"  Well,  the  trout  were  eaten  for  breakfast,  and  after  the 
meal  was  over,  my  brother  and  myself  were  duly  paid  off, 
at  a  hundred  cents  on  the  dollar,  with  full  interest.  That 
flogging  cured  me  of  '  tickling '  trout,  especially  on  Sunday. 
I  am  never  tempted  to  take  trout  with  my  hands,  without 
feeling  a  tickling  sensation  about  the  back  ;  and  though 
old  recollections  of  the  long  past,  of  that  pleasant  stream 
and  the  gorge  through  which  it  flowed,  with  the  side  hill 
covered  with-  old  forests  above  it,  and  the  green  fields  spread 


A  BOLAND  FOR  AN   OLIVEB.  137 

out  on  the  other  side,  of  the  home  of  my  boyhood,  the  old 
log-house,  the  cattle,  the  sheep,  the  old  watch-dog,  and  the 
thousand  other  things  around  which  memory  loves  to  linger, 
come  clustering  around  my  heart,  yet  conspicuous  among 
them  all,  is  the  flogging  I  got  for  '  tickling '  trout  on  a  Sun- 
day." 


CHAPTER    XIII. 

• 

A  JOLLY  TIME   FOB    THE    DEER — HUNTING    ON    THE   WATER    BY 

DAYLIGHT MUD    LAKE FUNEREAL     SCENERY A     NEW    WAY 

OF   TAKING     RABBITS THE     NEGRO    AND    THE    MARINO     BUCK 

A    COLLISION. 

As  we  came  down  to  the  lake  in  the  morning  to  perform 
our  ablutions,  we  saw  a  fine  deer  on  the  opposite  shore, 
feeding  upon  the  pond  lilies  that  grew  along  in  the  shallow 
water.  It  was  nearly  half  a  mile  from  us,  and  while  we 
were  looking  at  it,  four  others  came  walking  carelessly  out 
of  the  tall  grass  upon  the  beach,  and  commenced  playing,  as 
we  have  seen  lambs  do,  on  the  sandy  shore.  They  would 
run  here  and  there,  back  and  forth,  at  full  speed  along  the 
sands,  leap  high  into  the  air,  kicking  up  their  heels,  and 
performing  all  the  various%ntics  of  which  animals  so  supple 
and  active  may  be  supposed  capable.  We  saw  one  fellow 
leap,  with  a  clear  bound,  over  two  that  were  standing  look- 
ing out  over  the  water,  and  run  some  fifty  rods  up  the  beach, 
as  if  all  the  hounds  in  Christendom  were  at  his  tail,  and  then 

188 


A  JOLLY   TIME   FOE  THE   DEEE.  139 

wheel  gracefully,  and  return  with  equal  speed  to  his  com- 
panions, when  they  all  commenced  jumping  and  bounding, 
and  running  up  and  down  along  the  shore,  as  if  they  were 
out  on  a  jregular  spree,  and  were  determined  to  be  jolly. 
After  half  an  hour  of  exceedingly  active  play,  they  hoisted 
their  white  flags,  and  went  bounding  over  the  meadow  into 
the  woods. 

The  deer  that  was  feeding  paid  no  further  attention  to 
them  than  to  raise  his  head  and  look  quietly,  and  perhaps 
contemptuously  at  them  occasionally,  while  he  chewed  his 
breakfast,  that  he  was  picking  up  in  the  shape  of  lily  pads 
upon  the  surface  of  the  water.  Spalding  and  a  boatman 
paddled  across  the  lake  to  make  him  a  morning  call.  It  is 
a  curious  fact  that  one  skilled  in  the  art  will  paddle  or  scull 
one  of  these  light  boats  to  within  a  few  rods  of  a  deer  while 
feeding,  in  plain  open  sight,  provided  always  th^t  the  wind 
blows  from  the  direction  of  the  animal,  and  no  noise  is  made 
by  the  boatman.  The  deer  will  feed  on,  and  the  time  for 
paddling  is  while  his  head  is  down.  When  he  raises  it  to 
look  about  him,  in  whatever  position  the  boatman  is,  he 
must  remain  immovable.  If  his  paddle  is  up,  it  must 
remain  so  ;  not  a  motion  must  be  made,  or  the  game  will  be 
off,  with  a  snort  and  a  rush,  for  the  shore  and  the  woods. 
The  deer  may,  and  probably  will  look,  with  a  vacant  stare, 
directly  at  the  approaching  boat  without  its  curiosity  being 
in  the  least  excited,  and  then  go  to  feeding  again.  The 
marksman  must  take  his  aim  while  the  game  is  feeding  ; 
when  it  raises  its  head  high  in  the  air,  throws  forward  its 


140  HUNTING   OK   THE  WATER  BY   DAYLIGHT. 

ears  and  gazes  at  him  for  a  moment  with  a  wild  and 
startled  look,  then  is  his  time  to  fire.  Five  seconds  at  the 
longest  is  all  that  is  allowed  him  when  he  sees  these 
motions,  for  within  that  time,  with  its  fears  thoroughly 
aroused,  the  game  will  be  plunging  for  the  shelter  of  the 
woods. 

The  boatman  paddled  Spalding  quietly  and  silently  to 
within  twelve  or  fifteen  rods  of  the  deer  that  was  feeding, 
when  a  column  of  white  smoke  shot  suddenly  up  from  the 
bow  of  the  boat  ;  the  sharp  crack  of  the  rifle  rung  out  over 
the  water,  and  the  deer  went  down.  Spalding  was  a  proud 
man  as  he  returned  to  us  with  a  fine  fat  spike  buck  in  his 
boat. 

These  little  lakes  are  probably  sixty-five  miles  from  the 
settlements,  allowing  for  the  winding  course  of  the  rivers. 
Just  above,  where  the  river  enters,  is  a  dam,  built  of  logs 
some  fifteen  feet  high,  erected  by  the  lumbermen  the  last 
winter  to  hold  back  the  water,  so  as  to  float  their  logs  down 
from  this  to  Tupper's  Lake,  and  so  on  down  the  Rackett 
to  the  mills  away  below.  Around  this  dam  is  the  last 
carrying  place  between  this  and  Mud  Lake,  over  which  our 
boatmen  trudged  with  their  boats,  like  great  turtles  with 
their  shells  upon  their  backs.  This  is  still  called  Bog  River, 
and  though  above  the  dam  to  Mud  Lake,  where  it  takes  its 
rise,  it  is  deep  and  sluggish,  yet  it  is  doing  it  honor  over- 
much to  dignify  it  by  the  name  of  a  river.  It  was  large 
enough,  however,  to  float  our  little  craft.  We  left  our  bag- 
gage-master hero  with  most  of  our  luggage,  to  perfect  his 


THE  LAW   OF  THE   WOODS..  141 

operations  in  the  way  of  jerking  venison,  intending  to  return 
the  next  day.  We  might  have  left  everything  without  a 
guard,  so  far  as  human  depredations  were  concerned.  No 
bolts  or  bars  would  be  necessary  for  its  protection.  In  the 
first  place,  nobody  would  visit  the  spot,  and  if  they  did,  our 
property  would  be  perfectly  protected  by  the  law  of  the 
woods.  It  would  be  doubtless  carefully  inspected  by  any 
curious  hunter  passing  that  way,  but  theft  or  robbery  are 
unknown  here.  True,  a  bottle  of  good  liquor,  if  handled  by 
a  visitor,  might  lose  somewhat  of  its  contents,  but  it  would 
be  drank  to  the  health  of  the  owner,  and  in  a  spirit  of  good 
fellowship,  and  not  of  theft,  all  which  would  be  regarded 
by  woodsmen  as  strictly  within  rule,  there  being,  as  Hank 
Wood  said,  "  no  law  agin  it." 

We  left  the  first  chain  of  ponds,  and  rowed  some  ten 
miles  up  the  deep  and  sluggish  but  narrow  channel  of  the 
river,  startling  every  little  way  a  deer  from  its  propriety  by 
our  presence  as  it  was  feeding  along  the  shore.  Few  sports- 
men ever  visit  this  remote  region,  and  it  is  above  the  range 
of  the  lumbermen.  We  came  to  some  rapids  near  the  out- 
let of  the  second  chain  of  ponds,  around  which  we  walked, 
and  up  which  the  boatmen  pushed  their  little  craft.  These 
rapids  are  a  quarter  of  a  mile  in  length,  with  no  great 
amount  of  fall,  but  still  enough  to  prevent  the  passage  up 
them  of  a  loaded  boat.  Directly  at  the  head  of  these 
rapids  is  the  "  second  chain  of  ponds,"  three  pleasant  little 
lakelets,  of  from  two  to  four  hundred  acres  each,  surrounded 
by  dense  forests,  and  shores  in  the  main  walled  in  by  huge 


142  LOON   SHOOTING. 

boulders  and  broken  rocks.  We  passed  through  these,  in 
which  were  several  loons,  or  great  northern  divers,  quietly 
floating,  and  as  they  watched  us,  sending  forth  their  clear 
and  clarion  voices  over  the  water.  We  took  each  a  pass- 
ing shot  at  them,  but  with  no  other  effect  than  to  make 
them  dive  quicker  and  deeper,  and  stay  under  longer  than 
usual ;  at  the  flash  of  our  rifles  they  would  go  down,  and  in 
a  few  minutes  would  be  again  on  the  surface  sixty  rods  from 
us,  laughing  aloud,  as  it  were,  with  their  clear  and  quavering 
voices,  at  our  impotent  attempts  to  shoot  them. 

We  left  the  "  second  chain  of  ponds  "  by  the  narrow  and 
sluggish  inlets,  still  the  Bog  River,  here  so  small  that  the 
boatman's  oars  spanned  the  narrow  channel,  and  as  crooked 
a  stream  as  it  is  possible  for  one  to  be.  It  flows  for  miles 
through  a  low  and  marshy  region,  with  dense  alderbushes 
clustering  along  the  shore,  and  scattering  fir-trees,  dead  at 
the  top,  standing  between  these  and  the  forests  in  the  back- 
ground. The  bottom,  much  of  the  way,  is  of  clean  yellow 
sand,  in  which  are  imbedded  millions  of  clams,  resembling, 
in  every  respect,  those  of  the  ocean  beach.  Some  of  these 
we  opened,  and  found  the  living  bivalves  in  appearance 
precisely  like  their  kindred  of  the  salt  water.  I  have  seen 
occasionally  muscle  shells  in  other  streams,  and  along  the 
shores  of  the  lakes,  but  I  never  before  saw  any  such  as  these 
save  near  the  ocean,  where  the  salt  water  ebbs  and  flows, 
and  not  even  there  in  such  quantities.  One  might  gather 
barrels  and  barrels  of  them,  large  and  apparently  fat,  and 
yet  there  would  be  hundreds  or  thousands  of  barrels  left. 


MUD   LAKE.  143 

* 

The  mink,  the  muskrat,  and  other  animals  that  hunt  along 
the  water,  and  have  a  taste  for  fish,  have  a  good  time  of  it 
among  them,  for  we  saw  bushels  of  shells  in  places  where  the 
fish  had  been  extracted  and  devoured. 

We  arrived  at  Mud  Lake  towafds  evening,  and  pitched 
our  tent  on  a  little  rise  of  ground  on  the  north  side,  a  few 
rods  back  from  the  lake,  among  a  cluster  of  spruce  and 
balsam,  and  surrounded  by  a  dense  growth  of  laurel  and  high 
whortleberry  bushes.  We  saw  a  deer  occasionally  on  our 
route,  and  the  banks  of  the  stream  in  many  places  were 
trodden  up  by  them  like  the  entrance  to  a  sheep-fold.  Why 
this  sheet  of  water  should  be  called  Mud  Lake  is  a  mystery, 
for  though  gloomy  enough  in  every  other  respect,  its  bed  is 
of  sand,  and  it  is  surrounded  by  a  sandy  beach  from  fifteen 
to  forty  feet  wide. '  It  is  perhaps  four  miles  in  circumfer- 
ence, its  waters  generally  shallow,  and  so  covered  with  pond 
lilies,  and  skirted  with  wild  grass,  as  to  form  the  most 
luxuriant  pasture  for  the  deer  and  moose  to  be  found  in  all 
this  region.  Of  all  the  lakes  I  have  visited  in  these  northern 
wilds,  this  is  the  most  gloomy.  Indeed  it  is  the  only  one 
that  does  not  wear  a  cheerful  and  pleasant  aspect.  It 
seems  to  be  the  highest  water  in  this  portion  of  the  wilder- 
derness,  lying,  as  one  of  our  boatmen  expressed  it,  "  up  on 
the  top  of  the  house."  In  only  one  direction  could  any 
higher  land  be  seen,  and  that  was  a  low  hill  on  the  western 
shore,  not  exceeding  fifty  feet  in  height.  There  are  no  tall 
mountain  peaks  reaching  their  heads  towards  the  clouds, 
overlooking  the  waters-;  no  ranges  stretching  away  into 


144  FUNEREAL   SCENERY. 

» 

the  distance  ;  no  gorges  or  spreading  valleys  ;  no  sloping 
hillsides,  giving  back  the  sunlight,  or  along  which  gigantic 
shadows  of  the  drifting  clouds  float.  All  around  it  are  fir, 
and  tamarac,  and  spruce  of  a  stinted  and  slender  growth, 
dead  at  the  top,  and  with  lichens  and  moss  hanging  down 
in  sad  and  draggled  festoons  from  their  desolate  branches. 
It  is,  in  truth,  a  gloomy  place,  typical  of  desolation,  which  it 
is  well  to  see  once,  but  which  no  one  will  desire  to  visit 
a  second  time.  We  noticed  on  the  sandy  beach  tracks  of  the 
wolf,  the  panther,  the  moose,  and  in  one  place  the  huge 
track  of  a  bear.  He  must  have  been  of  monstrous  growth, 
judging  by  the  impression  of  his  great  feet  and  claws  in  the 
sand.  But  we  saw  none  of  these  animals,  and  so  gloomy  is 
the  place,  so  sepulchral,  such  an  air  of  desolation  all  around, 
that  it  brings  over  the  mind  a  strong  feeling  of  sadness  and 
gloom,  and  we  resolved  not  to  tarry  beyond  the  next  morn- 
ing, even  for  the  chance  of  taking  a  moose,  a  panther,  or  a 
bear. 

We  pitched  our  tent,  as  I  said,  a  little  way  back  from  the 
lake,  near  a  cold  spring,  that  came  boiling  up  through  the 
white  sand  in  a  little  basin,  eight  feet  wide,  the  bottom  of 
which,  like  that  on  the  bank  of  Tupper's  Lake,  was  all  in 
commotion,  boiling  and  bubbling,  as  the  water  forced  its  way 
up  through  it.  I  was  in  the  forward  boat  as  we  approached 
the  lake,  and  was  surprised  to  see  the  number  of  deer  feed- 
ing upon  the  lily  pads  in  the  shallow  water,  and  the  wild 
grass  that  grew  along  the  shore.  Some  stood  midside  in 
the  water,  some  with  only  the  line  of  their  backs  and  heads 


A   PANTHEJR   IN    SIGHT.  145" 

41  » 

above  it.  Some  were  close  along  the  shore,  feeding  upon 
the  grass  that  grew  there.  Others  still  were  nibbling  at  the 
leaves  of  the  moosewood  upon  the  bank,  and  one  large  buck 
stood  by  the  side  of  a  fir  tree,  rubbing  his  neck  up  and 
down  against  it,  as  if  scratching  himself  against  its  rough 
bark.  We  had  not  been  discovered,  and  waited  for  the 
other  boats  to  arrive.  Great  was  the  astonishment  of  my 
companions,  when  they  saw  the  number  of  deer  that  were 
feeding  in  this  little  lake.  Neither  of  them  had  ever  seen 
the  like,  nor  had  I,  save  on  one  occasion,  and  that  was  in 
a  small  lake,  the  name  of  which  I  have  forgotten,  lying 
a  few  miles  beyond  the  head  of  the  Upper  Saranac. 

"  You  see  that  clump  of  low  balsam  trees  on  that  point 
yonder,"  said  my  boatman,  as  we  lay  upon  our  oars,  point- 
ing in  the  direction  indicated.  "Well,  from  that  spot,  three 
years  ago,  I  shot  a  moose  out  upon  the  bar  there,  as  it  was 
feeding  upon  the  lily  pads  and  flag  grass. 

"  I  had  heard  from  an  old  Indian  hunter,  about  this  lake, 
and  the  abundance  of  game  to  be  found  here,  and  I  made 
up  my  mind  to  see  it.  So  another  hunter  and  myself  agreed 
to  come  up  here  in  July,  and  take  a  look  at  matters,  and 
find  out  whether  the  old  copperhead  told  the  truth  or  not. 
We  started  about  the  middle  of  July,  with  our  rifles  and 
provisions  for  a  fortnight,  and  came  up.  We  saw  any  quan- 
tity of  deer  on  the  way.  On  the  second  chain  of  ponds,  we 
saw,  as  we  were  rowing  along,  a  large  panther  walk  out 
on  to  the  top  of  a  great  boulder,  and  look  around,  lashing 
his  sides  with  his  long  tail,  and  then  sit  down  on  his 

7 


14:6  SHOOTING   A   MOOSE. 

haunches  with  his  tail  curled  around  his  feet,  just  as  you've 
seen  a  cat  do.  He  was  too  far  off  for  us  to  shoot  him,  and 
he  saw  us  before  we  got  within  proper  distance,  and  stole 
away  into  the  woods,  and  we  passed  on.  As  we  rounded 
the  point  just  below  the  lake  there,  and  looked  out  upon  the 
broad  water,  I  saw  the  moose  I  spoke  of,  feeding.  We  sat 
perfectly  still,  and  permitted  the  boat  to  drift  back  down 
the  stream  until  we  were  out  of  sight.  We  then  landed, 
and  I  crept  carefully  and  silently  to  that  clump  of  fir  trees. 
I  had  my  own  and  my  companion's  rifle  both  properly  loaded. 
Having  got  a  right  position,  I  sighted  for  a  vital  part,  and 
fired.  The  animal  rushed  furiously  forward  two  or  three 
rods,  with  its  head  lowered  as  if  making  a  lunge  at  an 
enemy,  then  stopped,  and  looked  all  around,  standing  with 
its  back  humped  up,  and  its  short  stump  of  a  tail  working 
and  writhing  at  a  furious  rate.  I  sighted  it  again  with  the 
other  rifle,  and  pulled.  The  animal  plunged  furiously  for- 
ward again  for  a  few  rods,  stopped  a  moment,  and  then 
settled  slowly  down,  and  fell  over  on  its  side,  dead.  It  was 
a  cow-moose  and  would  weigh  as  killed  five  or  six  hundred 
pounds.  I  was  a  pretty  proud  man  then,  as  that  was  my 
first  moose,  and  about  as  big  feeling  a  chap  as  was  Squire 
Smith  the  other  day,  when  he  brought  down  that  buck.  I 
have  shot  two  others  here  since,  one  at  each  visit  I  have 
made." 

The  season  for  moose  hunting  along  the  water  pastures, 
was  nearly  over.  They  go  back  upon  the  hills  in  August, 
the  food  there  being  by  that  tune  abundant.  The  tracks 


WOOD   RABBITS.  .147 

we  saw  were  old  ones,  the  animals  having  passed  there 
several  days  previously.  I  wonld  not  have  it  supposed  that 
the  moose  are  abnudant  in  any  portion  of  this  wilderness. 
They  have  come  to  be  few  and  far  between,  and  exceedingly 
wary  at  that.  I  could  hear  of  none  having  been  killed  the 
present  season  ;  but  that  there  are  some  left,  as  well  as 
bears,  and  wolves,  and  panthers,  the  tracks  we  saw  gave 
unmistakable  evidence. 

We  saw  no  appearance  of  tront  in  this  lake,  or  in  the 
outlet  of  it  above  the  upper  chain  of  ponds.  The  stream 
swarmed  with  chub  and  dace,  a  rare  circumstance  with  the 
streams  of  this  region.  Towards  evening,  we  saw  numbers 
of  little  grey  wood  rabbits,  hopping  around  among  the  dense 
undergrowth  on  the  ridge  where  our  tents  were  situated, 
squatting  themselves  down  and  cocking  up  their  long  ears, 
as  they  paused  occasionally  to  examine  the  strange  visitors 
who  had  come  among  them.  They  were  very  tame,  not 
seeming  to  regard  our  presence  as  a  thing  of  much  danger 
to  them. 

"  Seeing  those  rabbits,"  remarked  Smith,  "  reminds  me  of 
an  anecdote  of  my  boyhood,  which  at  the  time  occasioned 
me  an  amount  of  mortification  equalled  only  by  the  amuse- 
ment it  affords  me,  when  I  think  of  it  in  after  years.  On 
my  father's  farm  was  a  bush  field,  a  place  that  had  been 
chopped  and  burned  over,  and  then  left  to  grow  up  with 
bushes,  making  an  excellent  cover  for  wild  wood  rabbits.  I 
had  seen  them  hopping  about,  when  I  went  to  turn  away 


14:8  A  NEW   WAY   OF  TAKING   BABBITS. 

the  cows  in  the  morning,  or  after  them  at  night.  I  had  a 
longing  to  '  make  game '  of  them.  I  had  a  brother  a  good 
deal  older  than  myself,  who  was  as  fond  of  a  joke  as  I  was 
of  the  rabbits,  and  who  was  quite  as  refady  to  make  game  of 
me,  as  I  was  of  them  ;  so  he  told  me,  one  day  to  put  an 
apple  on  a  stick  over  their  paths,  high  enough  to  be  just 
above  their  reach,  and  a  handful  of  Scotch  snuff  on  a  dry 
leaf  on  the  ground  under  it,  and  the  rabbits,  while  smelling 
for  the  apple,  would  inhale  the  snuff,  and  sneeze  themselves 
to  death  in  no  time.  Well,  I  was  a  child  then  and  simple 
enough  to  be  gammoned  by  this  rigmarole.  I  set  the  apple 
and  the  snuff,  but  I  got  no  rabbit,  while  I  did  get  laughed 
at  hugely  for  my  credulity.  This  satisfied  me  that  people 
should  never  impose  upon  the  simplicity  of  childhood.  I 
remember  my  mortification  on  the  occasion.  It  was  so  long 
ago  that  it  stands  out  by  itself,  a  mere  fragment  of  memory, 
with  all  beyond  it  a  blank,  and  a  wide  gap  on  this  side.  It 
is  an  isolated  fact,  fixed  in  my  recollection  by  the  pain  it 
occasioned  me." 

"  Your  anecdote  of  the  rabbits,"  said  the  Doctor,  "  reminds 
me  of  a  story  told  of  a  Dutchman,  who  discovered  au  owl 
on  a  limb  above  him,  and  noticed  that  its  face,  and  great 
round  eyes,  followed  him  always  as  he  walked  around  the 
tree,  without  its  body  moving  at  all.  Seeing  this  he  con- 
cluded in  his  wisdom,  that  he  would  travel  round  the  tree, 
till  the  owl  twisted  its  head  off  in  watching  him.  So  round 
and  round  he  went  for  an  hour,  and  stopped  only  by  having 


THE  NEGKO  AND  THE  MERINO  BUCK.      149 

the  conviction  forced  upon  his  mind  that  the  owl  had  a 
swivel  in  its  neck." 

"  Strange,"  remarked  Spalding,  "  how  the  hearing  of  one 
story  reminds  us  of  another.  I  always  admired  the  '  Arabian 
Nights/  because  the  stories  contained  in  that  work  hang 
together  so  like  a  string  of  onions,  or  a  braid  of  seed  corn. 
The  first  is  a  sort  of  introduction  to  the  second,  and  the 
second  an  usher  to  the  third,  and  so  on  through  the  whole. 
But  why  the  story  of  the  Dutchman  and  the  owl  should 
remind  me  of  another,  in  which  an  old  negro  and  a  bellicose 
ram  were  the  actors,  is  a  matter  I  do  not  pretend  to  under- 
stand, unless  it  be  the  extreme  absurdity  of  both.  A  gen- 
tleman of  my  acquaintance  long  ago  (he  was  a  middle-aged 
man  when  I  was  a  small  boy.  He  was  an  upright  and  a 
good  man.  He  has  gone  to  his  rest,  and  sleeps  in  an  honored 
grave,  having  upon  the  simple  stone  above  him  no  lying 
epitaph),  had  an  old  negro  who  rejoiced  in  the  name  of 
Pompey,  and  a  Merino  buck,  the  latter  a  valiant  animal, 
that  was  ready  to  fight  with  anybody,  or  anything,  that 
crossed  his  path.  Between  him  and  the  '  colored  person/ 
was  an  'eternal  distinction/  an  active  and  irreconcilable 
antagonism,  that  developed  itself  on  every  possible  occasion. 
The  old  Guinea  man  was  winnowing  wheat  one  day,  with  an 
old-fashioned  fan  (did  any  of  you  ever  see  one  of  these  prim- 
itive machines  for  separating  wheat  from  the  chaff,  used 
by  our  fathers  before  the  fanning  mill  was  invented  ?  It 
was  an  ingenious  contrivance,  by  which  a  man  with  a  strong 


150  A   COLLISION. 

back  and  of  a  strong  constitution,  could  clean  some  twenty 
bushels  in  a  single  day).  While  stooping  over  to  fill  his 
fan  with  unwinnowed  grain,  the  buck,  taking  advantage  of 
his  position,  came  like  a  catapult  against  him,  and  sent  him 
like  a  ball  from  a  Paixhan  gun,  head  foremost  into  the 
chaff.  Great  was  the  astonishment,  but  greater  the  wrath 
of  Pompey,  and  dire  the  vengeance  that  he  denounced 
against  his  assailant.  Gathering  himself  up,  and  rubbing 
the  part  battered  by  the  attack  of  his  enemy,  he  retreated 
around  the  corner  of  the  barn,  and  procuring  a  rock  weigh- 
ing some  twenty  pounds,  returned  to  the  presence  of  his'  foe, 
who  was  quietly  eating  the  wheat  that  the  negro  had  been 
cleaning,  evidently  regarding  it  as  the  legitimate  spoils  of 
victory.  Getting  down  on  all  fours,  and  managing  to  hold 
the  stone  against  his  head,  Pompey  challenged  his  enemy  to 
combat.  The  buck,  nothing  loth,  drew  back  to  a  proper 
distance,  and  shutting  both  eyes,  came  like  a  battering  rain 
against  the  stone  on  the  other  side  of  which  was  the  negro's 
head.  As  might  have  been  expected,  the  challenger  went 
one  way,  and  the  challenged  the  other  by  the  recoil,  botli 
knocked  into  insensibility  by  the  concussion.  Pompey  was 
taken  up  for  dead,  but  his  wool  and  the  thickness  of  his 
scull  saved  him.  He  gave  the  buck  a  wide  berth  after  that. 
He  regarded  him  always  with  a  sort  of  superstitious  awe, 
never  being  able  to  comprehend  how  he  butted  him  through 
-ihat  big  stone.  Explain  the  matter  to  him  ever  so  scientifi- 
cally, demonstrate  it  on  the  clearest  principles  of  mechanical 


POMPEY'S  CONCLUSION.  151 

philosophy,  still  Pompey  would  shake  his  head,  and  as  he 
walked  away,  would  mutter  to  himself,  '  de  debbil  helps  dat 
ram,  sure.  Dere's  no  use  in  dis  nigger's  tryin'  to  come  round 
him.  He's  a  witch,  dat  ram  is,  and  ain't  nuffin  else.' " 

s 


CHAPTER  XIV. 

A    DEEE    TRAPPED THE    RESULT    OF    A    COMBAT — A    QUESTION 

OF   MENTAL   PHILOSOPHY   DISCUSSED. 

WE  returned  the  next  day  to  our  camping  ground.  On 
the  "  Lower  Chain  of  Ponds,"  we  found  our  pioneer  and  his 
goods  all  safe,  no  visitors  having  passed  that  way  in  our 
absence.  Smith  knocked  over  a  deer  on  our  passage  down. 
I  have  said  that  just  above  our  camp  was  a  dam.  It  was 
made  in  this  wise:  first,  great  logs  were  laid  up,  across  the 
stream,  in  the  same  fashion  as  the  side  of  a  log  house,  to 
the  height  of  about  twelve  feet,  properly  secured,  and  upon 
these,  other  and  smaller  logs  were  laid,  side  by  side,  trans- 
versely, and  sloping  up  the  stream  at  an  angle  of  forty-five 
degrees,  like  one  side  of  the  roof  of  a  house.  These  long, 
slender  logs,  reached  out  over  and  beyond  those  that  were 
laid  up  across  the  stream,  the  lower  part  covered  with 
brush,  and  then  with  earth,  so  as  to  make  a  tight  dam,  the 
upper  ends,  even  when  the  dam  was  full,  extending  several 
feet  above  the  top  water  line.  These  logs,  or  perhaps  they 


THE   RESULT   OF   A   COMBAT.  153 

had  better  be  called  large  and  long  poles,  for,  when  com- 
pared with  the  foundation  timbers,  they  were  nothing  more, 
have,  of  course,  above  where  they  are  covered  with  brush 
and  earth,  interstices,  or  crevices,  between  them. 

On  our  return,  and  as  we  came  in  sight  of  the  dam,  I, 
being  in  the  forward  boat,  saw  a  small  deer,  laying  stretched 
out  upon  these  poles,  dead,  hanging,  as  it  were,  by  one  foot. 
My  impression  was,  that  it  had  been  shot,  and  dragged  up 
there,  and  left  by  our  pioneer  for  the  present.  We  found, 
however,  upon  examination,  that  the  deer  had  walked  up 
on  the  dam,  probably  to  take  a  look  at  what  was  below, 
and  on  the  other  side,  when  his  foot  slipped  down  between 
the  poles,  and  he  was  caught  as  in  a  trap.  His  leg  was 
badly  broken,  and  nearly  severed  by  his  efforts  to  get  loose, 
and  the  bark  of  the  poles  was  worn  away  within  reach  of 
liis  struggles.  He  had  died  where  he  thus  got  hung;  and 
there  he  was,  stone  dead,  but  not  yet  cold,  when  we  found 
him.  He  was  a  fine,  fat,  young  deer,  and  died  by  one  of 
the  thousand  accidents  to  which  the  wild  animals  of  the 
forest,  as  well  as  man,  are  exposed. 

Upon  relating  this  incident  to  an  old  hunter,  I  was  told 
by  him  that  he  once,  while  out  in  the  woods,  came  upon  the 
skeletons  of  two  large  bucks,  that,  in  fighting,  had  got  their 
horns  so  interlocked  and  wedged  together,  that  they  could 
not  separate  them,  and  thus,  locked  in  the  death  grapple, 
they  had  starved  and  died.  There  lay  their  bones,  the 
flesh  eaten  from  them  by  the  beasts  and  carrion  birds-,  and, 
bleached  by  the  sun  and  the  storms,  the  two  skulls  with  the 

1* 


154  A   QUESTION   OF   MENTAL 

horns  still  interlocked;  and  the  narrator  told  me  he  had 
them  yet  at  home,  fast  together,  as  he  found  them,  as  one 
of  the  curiosities  to  be  met  with  in  the  Eackett  woods. 

"  I've  been  thinking,"  said  Spalding,  in  his  quiet  way,  as  we 
sat  towards  evening,  looking  out  over  the  pleasant  little  lake, 
watching  the  shadow  chasing  the  retiring  sunlight  up  the 
sides  of  the  opposite  hills,  *'  I've  been  thinking  how  differ- 
ently we  act,  and  feel,  and  talk — aye,  and  think,  too — out 
here  in  these  old  woods,  from  what  we  do  when  at  home  and 
surrounded  by  civilization.  However  we  four  may  deny 
being  old,  we  cannot  certainly  claim  to  be  young.  We  have 
all  reached  the  meridian  of  life,  and  though  feeling  few,  if 
any,  of  the  infirmities  of  age,  still,  our  next  move  will  be 
in  the  downhill  direction.  Yet,  notwithstanding  all  this,  we 
talk  and  act,  and  think,  and  feel,  too,  like  boys.  I  do  not 
speak  this  reproachfully,  but  as  a  fact  which  develops  a 
curious  attribute  of  the  human  mind." 

"  Well,"  replied  the  Doctor,  "  while  it  may  be  curious,  it 
is  exceedingly  natural.  We  have  thrown  off  the  restraints 
which  society  imposes  upon  us ;  we  have  thrown  off  the 
cares  which  the  business  of  life  heaps  upon  us.  We  have 
gone  back  for  a  season  to  the  freedom,  the  sports,  the  sights, 
the  exercises  which  delighted  our  boyhood.  And  can  it  be 
called  strange  that  the  feelings,  the  thoughts,  and  emotions 
of  our  youth  should  come  welling  up  from  the  long  past,  or 
that  with  the  return  of  boyish  emotions,  the  language  and 
actions  of  boyhood  should  be  indulged  in  again  ?" 

"  Yon  will  find,"  said  Smith,  "  your  old  feelings  of  sobriety, 


PHILOSOPHY   DI8CTJ88ED.  155 

of  thoughtfulness,  your  cautiousness,  coming  back  just  in  pro- 
portion as  you  tire  of  this  wilderness  life,  and  that  by  the 
time  you  are  ready  to  return  to  civilization,  you  will  have 
become  as  staid,  sober,  and  reflective  men  of  the  world,  as 
when  you  started,  with  as  strict  a  guard  upon  your  expres- 
sion of  sentiment,  or  opinion,  as  ever." 

"  It  is  that  '  guard '  of  which  you  speak,"  remarked  Spal- 
ding,  "  over  the  emotions,  the  sentiments  of  the  heart,  stifling 
their  expression,  and  chaining  down  under  a  placid  exterior 
their  manifestations,  that  constitutes  one  of  the  broad  dis- 
tinctions between  youth  and  manhood.  It  is  when  that 
guard  is  set,  that  the  process  of  fossilization,  so  to  speak, 
begins  ;  and  if  no  relaxing  agency  intervenes,  the  heart  be- 
comes cold  and  hard,  even  before  white  hairs  gather  upon 
the  head.  I  often  imagine  that  if  men  who  really  think,  who 
have  the  power  of  analyzation,  of  weighing  causes  and  mea- 
suring results,  would  dismiss  that  rigid  espionage  over  them- 
selves, would  stand  in  less  awe  of  the  world,  in  less  dread 
of  its  accusation  of  change,  and  with  the  fearless  frankness 
of  youth,  declare  the  truth,  and  stand  boldly  up  for  the  right 
as  they,  at  the  time,  understand  it  to  be,  without  reference 
to  consistency  of  present  views  and  opinions  with  those  of 
the  past,  the  world  would  be  much  better  off ;  progress 
would  have  vastly  fewer  obstacles  to  contend  against.  But  it 
is  not  every  man,  even  of  those  who  think,  who  in  politics,  in 
religion,  in  science,  in  anything  involving  a  possible  charge 
of  inconsistency,  of  the  desertion  of  a  party,  a  sect,  or  a 
principle,  date  avow  a  change  of  conviction  or  opinion,  how- 


156  A   QUESTION   OP  MENTAL 

ever  such  change  may  exist.  This  should  not  be  so.  It  be- 
littles manhood,  and  makes  slaves  and  cowards  of  men.  It 
is  a  proud  prerogative,  this  ability  and  power  of  thinking. 
It  is  a  priceless  privilege,  this  freedom  of  thought  and  opi- 
nion, and  he  is  a  craven  who  moves  on  with  the  heedless  and 
thoughtless  crowd,  conscious  of  error,  himself  a  hypocrite  and 
a  living  lie,  through  fear  of  the  charge  of  '  inconsistency,' 
the  accusation  of  change.  '  Speak  your  opinions  of  to-day,' 
says  Carlyle,  '  in  words  hard  as  rocks,  and  your  opinions  of 
to-morrow  in  words  just  as  hard,  even  though  your  opinions 
of  to-morrow  may  contradict  your  opinions  of  to-day.'  There 
is  a  fund  of  true  wisdom  in  this  beautiful  maxim,  if  men 
would  appreciate  it.  It  would  correct  a  vast  deal  of  error 
in  politics,  in  religion,  in  philosophy,  in  the  social  relations 
of  life.  Times  change,  and  struggle  against  it  as  they  may, 
men's  convictions  will  change  with  the  times.  The  man  who 
says  that  his  opinions  never  alter,  is  to  me  either  a  knave  or 
a  fool.  For  a  thinking  man  to  remain  stationary,  when 
everything  else  is  on  the  move,  is  a  simple  impossibility. 
Time  was  when  the  stage  coach  was  the  model  method  of 
travelling.  It  carried  us  six,  sometimes  eight  miles  the 
hour,  in  comfort  and  safety.  But  who  thinks  of  the  lumber- 
ing stage  coach  now,  with  its  snail's  pace  of  eight  miles  the 
hour,  when  the  locomotive  with  its  long  train  of  cars,  lighted 
up  like  the  street  of  a  city  in  motion,  rushes  over  the  smooth 
rails  literally  with  the  speed  of  the  wind.  The  scream  of  the 
steam-whistle  has  succeeded  the  old  stage-horn,  and  the  iron 
horse  taken  the  place  of  those  of  flesh  and  blood.  Change 


PHILOSOPHY   DISCUSSED.  157 

is  written  in  great  glowing  letters  upon  everything.  It 
stands  out  in  blazing  capitals  everywhere.  All  things  are 
on  the  move  !  Forward  !  and  forward  !  is  the  word.  And 
who  would,  who  CAN,  stand  still  amidst  the  universal  rush  ? 
Only  a  century  ago,  from  the  valley  through  which  the  ma- 
jestic Hudson  rolls  its  everlasting  flood,  westward  to  the 
mighty  Mississippi,  westward  still  to  the  Eocky  Mountains, 
and  yet  westward  to  the  Pacific,  was  one  vast  wilderness  ; 
interminable  forests,  standing  in  all  their  primeval  grandeur 
and  gloom  ;  boundless  prairies,  covered  with  profitless  ver- 
dure, over  which  the  silence  of  the  everlasting  past  brooded  ; 
and  above  all  these,  mountain  peaks,  covered  with  perpetual 
snows,  upon  which  the  eye  of  a  white  man  had  never  looked, 
stood  piercing  the  sky.  From  the  Atlantic  coast  to  the 
Mississippi,  that  old  forest  has  been  swept  away.  The  broad 
prairies  have  been,  or  are  being,  subjected  to  the  culture  of 
human  industry ;  even  the  Rocky  Mountains  have  been 
overleaped,  and  beyond  them  is  a  great  State  already  ad- 
mitted into  the  family  of  the  Union,  and  a  territory  teeming 
with  an  adventurous  and  hardy  population,  knocking  at  its 

door  for  admission.     The  march  of  civilization  has  crossed  a 

• 

continent  of  more  than  three  thousand  miles,  sweeping  away 
forests,  spreading  out  green  fields,  planting  cities  and  towns, 
making  the  old  wilderness  to  blossom  as  the  rose,  scattering 
life,  activity,  progress,  all  along  the  road  it  has  travelled. 
The  great  rivers  that  rolled  in  silence  through  unbroken 
forests,  have  become  the  highways  of  trade,  upon  whose 


158  A  QUESTION  OF   MENTAL 

bosoms  the  white  sails  of  commerce  are  spread,  and  through 
whose  waters  countless  steamboats  plough  their  way.  These 
stupendous  changes  are  the  results  of  human  energy,  and 
they  reach,  in  their  moral  prestige,  their  progressive  influ- 
ence, through  every  vein  and  artery  of  governmental  and 
social  compacts,  affecting  political  institutions,  shaping  na- 
tional policy,  and  forcing,  by  their  resistless  demonstrations, 
change  and  mutations  of  opinions  upon  all  men, 

"  As  it  has  been  in  the  past  century,  so  it  is  now,  and 
BO  it  will  be  through  all  the  long  future.  Forward,  and 
forward,  is  the  word,  and  forward  will  be  the  \fc>rd  for  cen- 
turies to  come.  And  why  ?  Because  all  men  here,  in  this 
free  Republic,  are  free  to  think,  free  to  speak,  free  to  will, 
free  to  act.  No  traditions  of  the  past  bind  them  ;  no  here- 
ditary policy  controls  their  action  ;  no  customs,  covered  with 
the  dust  of  ages,  fetter  them  ;  no  physical  or  intellectual 
gyves,  corroded  by  the  rust  of  centuries,  are  eating  into  their 
flesh.  Because  thinking  American  men  everywhere  live  in 
the  present,  ignoring  and  defying  the  dead  past,  and  build- 
ing up  the  mighty  future.  Because  they  '  speak  their  opi- 
nions of  TO-DAY  in  words  hard  as  rocks,  and  their  opinions  of 
TO-MORROW  in  words  just  as  hard,  although  their  opinions  of 
to-morrow  may  contradict  their  opinions  of  to-day.'  They 
are  fearless  of  personal  consequences.  As  free  men,  they 
will  think,  as  free  men  they  will  speak,  and  as  such  they  will 
act,  regardless  of  the  jibe  and  sneer  of  those  who  accuse 
them  of  change,  of  inconsistency,  of  being  mutable  and  un 


PHILOSOPHY   DISCUSSED.  159 

stable  of  purpose.  They  point  to  the  march  of  improvement, 
the  advance  in  the  actualities  of  life,  and  ask,  '  When  every 
thing  else  is  on  the  move,  shall  we  stand  still  ?  Shall  the 
opinions  of  a  quarter  of  a  century,  a  decade,  a  year,  a 
month  ago,  remain  unchanged,  immutable,  fixed  as  a  star 
always,  amidst  the  new  demonstrations  looming  up  like 
mountains  everywhere  around  us  ?' 

"Man's  life  is  short  at  best ;  a  little  point  of  tijne,  scarcely 
discernible  on  the  map  of  ages  ;  his  aspirations,  his  hopes, 
his  ambition,  more  transient  than  the  lightning's  flash  ;  but 
his  opinions  may  tell  for  good  upon  that  little  point  occu- 
pied by  his  generation,  and  he  should  '  speak  them  in  words 
hard  as  rocks.'  They  may  aid  in  illuminating  the  darkness 
of  the  present,  and  he  should  therefore  '  speak  them  hi  words 
hard  as  rocks.'  They  may  have  some  influence  in  building 
up  and  ennobling  human  destiny  in  the  future,  and  he  should 
therefore  '  speak  them  in  words  hard  as  rocks,'  regardless 
of  the  contumely  heaped  upon  him  by  little  minds  for  having 
thus  spoken  them.  What  if  the  ridicule,  the  denunciations 
of  the  unthinking,  the  sensual,  the  profligate,  the  unreflect- 
ing fools  of  the  world  be  poured  upon  him  ?  What  of  that  ? 
To-day,  may  be  one  of  darkness  and  storm.  The  cloud  and 
the  storm  will  pass  away,  and  the  brightness  and  glory  of 
the  sunh'ght  will  be  all  over  the  earth  to-morrow.  Let  him 
'  speak  his  opinions  then  of  to-day  in  words  hard  as  rocks, 
and  his  opinions  of  to-morrow  in  words  just  as  hard.'  Let 
him  speak  his  opinions  thus  on  all  subjects  within  the  range 


160  NIGHT   HUNTING. 

of  human  investigation,  upon  science,  philosophy,  politics, 
religion,  morals  ;  and  leave  to  little  minds  to  settle  the  ques- 
tion of  consistency  or  change.  Let  his  be  the  eagle's  flight 
towards  the  sun,  and  theirs  to  skim  in  darkness  along  the 
ground,  like  the  course  of  the  mousing  owl." 

After  it  became  dark,  Smith  and  Martin  went  out  around 
the  lake  night  hunting,  and  the  rest  retired  to  our  tents. 
We  heard  the  report  of  Smith's  rifle  from  time  to  time,  and 
concluded  that  we  should  have  to  court-martial  him  for  a 
wanton  destruction  of  deer,  contrary  to  the  law  we  had 
established  for  our  government  on  that  subject.  But  on  his 
return,  we  ascertained  that,  though  having  had  several  shots, 
he  had  succeeded  in  killing  or,  according  to  Martin's  account, 
even  wounding  but  one,  and  that  a  yearling,  and  the  poorest 
and  leanest  we  had  seen  since  we  entered  the  woods. 
Though  it  was  thus  diminutive  in  size,  Smith  declared  that 
he  had  seen,  and  shot  at,  some  of  the  largest  deer  that  ever 
roamed  the  forest.  He  insisted  that  he  had  seen  some,  by 
the  side  of  which  the  largest  we  had  looked  upon  by  day- 
light, were  mere  fawns,  and  thereupon  he  undertook  to  esta- 
blish a  theory  that  the  large  deer  fed  by  night  and  the 
smaller  ones  by  day.  This  would  have  been  all  well 
enough,  were  it  not  for  the  fact,  understood  by  every  expe- 
rienced night-hunter,  that  by  the  spectral  and  uncertain 
light  of  the  lamp,  or  torch,  a  deer,  when  seen  standing  in 
the  water,  or  on  the  reedy  banks,  is  in  appearance  magnified 
to  twice  its  actual  dimensions.  To  this  Smith  at  last 


THE   WRONG   DEER.  161 

assented,  since  to  deny  the  proposition,  involved  the  conclu- 
sion that  he  had  killed  the  wrong  deer  ;  for  the  one  he  shot 
at,  as  it  stood  in  the  edge  of  the  water,  though  much 
smaller  than  some  he  had  seen,  appeared  greatly  larger  than 
the  one  he  killed. 


CHAPTER    XV. 

HOOKING  UP  TEOUT THE   LEFT  BRANCH THE  RAPIDS — A  FIGHT 

WITH   A    BUCK. 

WE  started  down  stream  in  the  morning,  towards  the 
forks,  intending  to  ascend  the  left  branch  to  Little  Tapper's 
Lake.  We  reached  the  forks  at  three  o'clock.  Directly 
opposite  to  where  the  right  branch  enters,  a  small  cold 
stream  comes  in  among  a  cluster  of  alder  bushes  on  the 
eastern  shore.  At  the  mouth  of  this  little  stream,  which  one 
can  step  across,  the  trout  congregate.  We  could  see  them 
laying  in  shoals  along  the  bottom  ;  but  the  sun  shone  down 
bright  and  warm  into  the  clear  water,  and  not  a  trout  would 
rise  to  the  fly,  or  touch  a  bait.  We  wanted  some  of  those 
trout,  and  as  they  refused  to  be  taken  in  a  scientific  way 
and  according  to  art,  it  was  a  necessity,  for  which  we  were 
not  responsible,  which  impelled  us  to  a  method  of  capture 
which,  under  ordinary  circumstances,  we  should  have  re- 
jected. I  took  off  the  fly  from  my  line,  and  fastened  upon 
it  half  a  dozen  snells  with  bare  hooks,  attached  a  small 

162 


HOOKING   TIP   TROUT.  163 

sinker,  and  dropped  quietly  among  them.  A  large  fellow 
worked  his  way  lazily  above  where  the  hooks  lay  on  the  bot- 
tom, eying  me,  as  if  laughing  at  my  folly  in  attempting  to 
deceive  him,  with  fly  or  bait.  I  jerked  suddenly,  and  two  of 
the  hooks  fastened  into  him  near  the  tail.  That  trout  was 
astonished,  as  were  half  a  dozen  or  more  of -his  fellows,  when 
they  came  out  of  the  water  tail  foremost,  struggling  with  all 
their  might  against  so  vulgar  and  undignified  a  manner  of 
leaving  their  native  element.  We  got  as  beautiful  a  string 
in  this  way  as  one  would  wish  to  see,  albeit  they  lauged  at 
our  best  skill  with  fly  and  bait ;  and  the  cream  of  the  matter 
was,  that  we  had  our  pick  of  the  shoal. 

We  pitched  our  tents  at  the  foot  of  the  second  rapids,  on 
a  high,  moss-covered  bank.  The  roar  of  the  water  sounded 
deep  and  solemn  among  the  old  woods,  as  it  went  roaring 
and  tumbling,  and  struggling  through  the  gorge.  The  night 
winds  moaned  and  sighed  among  the  trees  above  us,  while 
the  night  bird's  notes  came  soothingly  from  the  wilderness 
around  us. 

"  What  a  strange  diversity  of  tastes  exists  among  the  peo- 
ple of  this  world  of  ours,"  said  the  Doctor,  addressing  him- 
self to  me,  as  we  satin  front  of  our  tents,  listening  to  the 
roar  of  the  waters.  "  You  and  I,  I  take  it,  enjoy  a  fort- 
night or  so,  among  these  lakes,  and  old  forests,  with  a 
keener  relish  than  Spalding  or  Smith  here.  I  judge  so,  be- 
cause we  indulge  in  these  trips  every  year,  while  this  is  their 
first  adventure  of  the  kind.  But  even  you  and  I,  however 
much  we  may  love  the  woods,  however  we  may  enjoy  these 


164  A  LOVER   OF   SOLITUDE. 

occasional  tramps  among  their  shady  solitudes,  would  not 
enjoy  them  as  a  residence  ;  and  yet  I  have  sometimes 
thought  I  should  love  to  spend  the  summers  in  a  forest 
home,  alone  with  nature,  with  my  pen  and  books,  a  fishing- 
rod  and  rifle  to  supply  my  wants,  and  a  friend  to  talk  with 
occasionally. 

"Many  years  ago,  I  was  out  on  the  Western  prairies, 
some  sixty  days  beyond  the  region  of  bread  ;  we  had  en- 
camped on  the  banks  of  a  stream,  along  which  a  narrow  belt 
of  timber  grew.  More  than  a  quarter  of  a  century  has 
passed  since  I  took  that  trip  to  look  upon  the  Rocky  Moun- 
tains. There  was  no  gold  region  laying  beyond  them  then, 
or  rather,  the  enterprise  of  the  Anglo-Saxon  had  not  disco- 
vered ita  existence,  and  the  greed  of  the  white  man  had 
not  made  the  trail  over  the  mountains,  or  through  their  dis- 
mal passes,  a  familiar  way.  Along  in  the  afternoon  we 
were  visited  by  a  trapper,  who  had,  in  his  wanderings,  disco- 
vered the  smoke  of  our  camp  fires.  He  was  a  weather- 
beaten,  iron  man,  of  the  solitudes  of  nature,  who  had  wan- 
dered away  from  his  home  in  New  England,  and  from  civi- 
lization, into  that  limitless  wilderness.  He  was  glad  to  see 
us,  inquired  the  news  from  the  outer  world,  talked  about 
York  State,  Varmount,  the  Bay  State,  and  then,  after  an 
hour's  converse,  as  if  his  social  instincts  and  sympathies  had 
been  satisfied,  he  shouldered  his  rifle  and  started  off  across 
the  plain,  towards  a  belt  of  timber  lying  dim  and  shadowy, 
like  a  low  cloud,  upon  the  distant  horizon.  I  watched  him 
for  an  hour  or  more,  as  he  trudged  away  over  the  rolling 


LOVE  OF  CHANGE.  165 

prairie,  growing  less  and  less  to  the  view,  until  he  became 
like  a  speck  in  the  distance,  and  then  vanished  from  my 
sight.  There  was  a  solemn  sort  of  feeling  stole  over  me,  as 
this  lonely  hunter  wended  his  way  into  the  deep  solitudes  of 
the  prairies,  to  be  alone  with  nature,  communing  only  with 
himself  and  the  things  scattered  around  him  by  the  great 
Creator.  He  seemed  to  be  contented  and  happy.  How 
different  were  his  tastes  from  yours  or  mine,  my  friends  ; 
and  yet  I  felt  as  though  it  would  have  been  easy  for  me  to 
have  been  like  him,  an  isolated  and  solitary  man,  had  cir- 
cumstances in  early  life  thrown  me  into  a  position  to  have 
followed  the  original  bent  of  my  nature." 

"And  yet,"  said  Spalding,  "if  you  will  look  into  the 
philosophy  of  the  matter,  you  will  see  that  this  diversity  of 
tastes,  as  you  call  it,  is  not  so  great  after  all ;  that  is,  that 
the  origin  of  the  impulse  which  sends  some  men  away  from 
society  among  the  solitudes  of  the  wilderness,  and  of  that 
which  holds  others  in  constant  communion  with  the  busy 
scenes  of  life,  is  very  nearly  the  same.  It  is  the  love  of 
adventure,  of  excitement,  a  restlessness  for  something  new, 
a  desire  for  change.  This  impulse  is  controlled,  shaped  by 
circumstances  of  early  life,  by  education  and  association  ; 
but  the  foundation  of  it  at  last  is  the  thirst  for  excitement, 
the  love  of  adventure.  One  man  wanders  away  into  the 
wilderness  in  pursuit  of  it.  Another  plunges  into  society  in 
pursuit  of  the  same  thing.  These  hardy  men  who  are  here 
with  us,  who  were  reared  on  the  borders  of  civilization, 
enjoy  the  solitudes  of  their  wilderness  quite  as  much,  and 


166  MOVING   BACK   FROM   CIVILIZATION. 

upon  the  same  general  theory,  as  we  do  the  society  to  which 
we  have  been  accustomed  ;  and  they  plunge  alone  into 
the  one  with  quite  as  much  zest  as  we  do  into  the  other,  in 
the  pursuit  of  excitement.  Here  is  Cullen,  now,  who  has 
spent  more  time  alone  in  the  wilderness  than  almost  any 
other  man  outside  of  the  trappers  and  hunters  of  the  prairies 
of  the  West,  I  appeal  to  him  if  it  is  not  rather  a  love  of 
adventure  than  of  nature  which  sends  him  on  his  solitary 
rambles  in  the  forests  ?" 

"  May  be  the  Judge  is  right,"  replied  Cullen,  as  he  rubbed 
the  shavings  of  plug  tobacco  in  the  palm  of  his  left  hand  with 
the  ball  of  his  right,  while  he  held  his  short  black  pipe  be- 
tween his  teeth,  preparatory  to  filling  it,  "  may  be  the  Judge  is 
right,  I  rather  think  he  is,  and  let  me  tell  you  I've  met  with 
some  queer  adventures,  as  you  call  them,  in  these  woods  too  ; 
some  that  I  wouldn't  have  gone  out  arter  if  I'd  known  what 
they  were  to  've  been  afore  I  started.  I've  been  movin'  back 
from  what  you  call  civilization  for  five  and  twenty  year, 
because  I  didn't  like  to  live  where  people  were  too  thick, 
and  where  there  was  nothing  but  tame  life  around  me.  I've 
a  land  of  liking  for  the  deer  and  moose,  and  havn't  any  ill 
will  towards,  now  and  then,  a  wolf  or  a  painter.  I  like  a 
rifle  better  than  I  do  the  handles  of  a  plow,  and  I'd  rayther 
bring  down  a  ten-pronger  than  to  raise  an  acre  of  corn,  and 
I  don't  care  who  knows  it.  There's  a  place  in  the  world  for 
just  such  a  man  as  I  am  yet,  and  will  be  till  these  old  woods 
are  gone.  Do  you  see  that  ?"  said  he,  rolling  up  his  panta- 
loons to  his  knees,  revealing  a  deep  scar  on  both  sides  of 


HONORABLE   SOAKS.  167 

the  calf  of  his  leg,  as  if  it  had  been  pierced  by  a  bullet. 
"  And  do  you  see  that  ?"  as  he  exhibited  another  deep  scar 
above  his  knee.  "  And  that  ?"  as  he  showed  another  on  his 
arm,  above  the  elbow.  "  Wai,  I  reckon  I  had  a  time  of  it 
with  the  old  buck  that  made  them  things  on  my  under- 
piniu',  and  on  my  corn-stealer,  as  they  say  out  West.  Fif- 
teen years  ago  I  was  over  on  Tupper's  Lake,  shantyin'  on 
the  high  bank  above  the  rocks,  just  at  the  outlet,  fishin'  and 
huntin',  and  layin'  around  loose,  in  a  promiscuous  way,  all 
alone  by  myself,  havin'  nobody  along  but  the  old  black 
dog  that  you,"  appealing  to  Hank  Wood,  who  nodded  assent, 
remember.  "  That  dog,"  continued  Cullen,  "  was  human  in 
his  day,  and  if  anybody  has  another  like  him,  and  wants  a 
couple  of  months  lumberin'  in  the  place  of  him,  I'm  ready 
for  a  trade  ;  he  may  call  at  my  shanty.  Wai,  Crop  and  I 
had  seen  about  all  there  was  to  be  looked  at  about  Tup- 
per's Lake,  and  havin'  hearn  some  pretty  tall  stories  about 
the  deer  and  moose  up  about  the  head  of  Bog  River  from 
an  Ingen  who'd  hunted  that  section,  I  mentioned  to  Crop 
one  mornin'  that  we'd  take  a  trip  into  them  parts. 
'  Agreed/  said  he,  or  leastwise  he  didn't  say  a  word  agin 
it,  and,  by  the  wag  of  his  tail,  I  understood  him  to  be 
agreeable. 

"Mud  Lake,  as  you've  discovered,  aint  very  near  now, 
and  it  was  a  good  deal  farther  off  then.  The  settlements 
hadn't  been  pushed  so  far  into  the  woods  then  as  now.  But 
we  put  out,  Crop  and  I,  for  Mud  Lake  ;  we  passed  the 
eight  carryin'  places  afore  night,  and  reached  the  first  chain 


168  WHAT  "ME  AND  CEOP"  SAW. 

of  ponds  while  the  sun  was  hangin'  like  a  great  torch  in  the 
tree-tops.  I've  seen  a  good  many  deer  hi  my  day,  but  the 
way  they  stood  around  in  those  ponds,  and  hi  the  shallow 
water  of  the  river  below,  among  the  grass  and  pond  lilies, 
was  a  thing  to  make  a  man  open  his  eyes  some.  I  saw 
dozens  of  'em  at  a  tune,  and  if  it  didn't  seem  like  a  sheep 
paster  I  would'nt  say  it.  I  had  my  pick  out  of  the  lot,  and 
knocked  over  a  two-year-old  for  provision  for  me  and  Crop. 
I  aint  at  all  poetical,  but  if  there  was  ever  a  matter  to  make 
a  man  feel  like  stringin'  rhymes,  that  evenin'  that  Crop 
and  I  spent  on  the  lower  chain  of  ponds,  or  little  lakes  on 
Bog  River,  was  a  thing  of  that  sort.  The  sun  threw  his 
bright  red  light  on  the  tops  of  the  mountains  away  off  to 
the  East,  spreading  it  all  over  the  lofty  peaks,  like  a  golden 
shawl,  while  the  gorges  and  deep  valleys  around  their  base 
rested  in  deep  and  solemn  shadow.  The  loon  spoke  out 
clear,  like  a  bugle  on  the  lakes,  and  his  voice  went  echoiu' 
around  among  the  hills  ;  the  frogs  were  out  and  out  jolly, 
while  the  old  woods  were  full  of  happy  voices  and  merry 
songs  as  if  all  nater  was  runnin'  over  with  gladness  and  joy; 
even  the  night  breezej  as  it  sighed  and  moaned  among  the 
tree-tops,  seemed  to  be  whisperin'  to  itself  of  the  joy  and 
brightness  and  glory  of  such  an  evenin'.  As  the  night 
gathered,  the  moon,  in  her  largest  growth,  came  up  over  the 
hills  and  walked  like  a  queen  up  into  the  sky,  and  the 
bright  stars  gathered  around  her,  twinklin'  and  flashin'  and 
dancin',  as  if  merry-makin'  in  the  brightness  of  her  presence. 
Away  down  below  the  bottom  of  the  lake  were  other  moun- 


BLACK   FLIES   AND   MOSQUITOES.  169 

tains  and  lakes,  another  moon  with  bright  stars  shinin'  and 
twinklin'  aronnd  her,  other  broad  heavens  just  as  distinct 
and  glorious  as  those  which  arched  above  us.  Don't  laugh, 
Judge,  for  me  and  Crop  saw  and  heard  all  that  I've  been 
describin'  to  you,  and  we  felt  it  too,  may  be  quite  as  deeply 
as  if  we'd  been  bred  in  colleges  and  stuffed  with  the  larnin' 
of  the  books. 

"  I  heard  the  cry  of  the  painter,  the  howl  of  the  wolf, 
and  the  hoarse  bellow  of  the  moose  that  night,  and  Crop 
crept  close  alongside  of  me,  in  our  bush-shanty,  and  an- 
swered these  forest  sounds  by  a  low  growl,  as  if  sayin' 
to  himself,  that  while  he'd  rayther  keep  out  of  a  fight, 
yet,  if  necessary,  in  defence  of  his  master,  he  was  ready 
to  go  in.  Wai,  we  started  on  up  stnam  next  mornin7, 
passed  the  second  chain  of  lakes,  and  went  along  up  the 
crooked  and  windin'  course  of  the  stream,  till  towards  night 
we  came  in  sight  of  Mud  Lake.  That  lake  is  anything 
but  handsome  to  my  thinkin';  you  saw  it  was  gloomy  and 
solemn  enough,  situated  as  it  is  away  up  on  the  top  of 
the  mountain,  higher  than  any  other  waters  I  know  of  in 
these  parts.  All  about  it  are  fir,  and  tamarack,  and  spruce, 
the  lichens  hanging  like  long  grey  hair  away  down  from 
their  stinted  branches,  while  all  around  low  bushes  grow, 
and  moss,  sometimes  a  foot  thick,  covers  the  ground.  That, 
Judge,  is  the  place  for  black  flies  and  mosquitoes  in  June. 
The  black  flies  are  all  gone  before  this  time  in  the  summer, 
but  if  you'd  a  taken  this  trip  the  latter  part  of  June,  you'd 
have  admitted  that  I'm  tellin'  no  lie.  If  there's  any  place 

8 


170  A   GOOD-SIZED   BUCK. 

in  the  round  world  where  mosquitoes  have  longer  bills, 
or  the  black  flies  swarm  in  mightier  hosts,  I  don't  Jmow 
where  it  is,  and  shan't  go  there  if  I  happen  to  find  out 
its  location.  I've  a  tolerably  thick  hide,  but  if  they  didn't 
bite  me  some,  I  wouldn't  say  so.  But  you  ought  to  have 
seen  the  deer  feedin'  on  the  pond-lilies  and  grass  in  that 
lake  !  They  were  like  sheep  in  a  pasture  ;  and  out  some 
fifty  rods  from  the  shore  was  a  great  moose,  helpin'  himself 
to  the  eatables  that  grew  there.  I  laid  my  jacket  down 
for  Crop  to  watch,  and  waded  quietly  in  towards  where  the 
moose  was  feedin'.  I  got  within  twelve  or  fifteen  rods  of 
him,  and  spoke  to  him  with  my  rifle.  He  heard  it,  you 
may  guess.  Without  knowin'  who  or  what  hurt  him,  he 
plunged  right  towards  me  for  the  shore  ;  but  he  never  got 
there  alive.  You  ought  to  have  seen  the  scampering  of  the 
deer  at  the  sound  of  my  rifle  !  Maybe  there  wasn't  much 
splashin'  of  the  water,  and  whistlin',  and  snortin',  and  puttin' 
out  for  the  shore  among  'em. 

"  The  next  mornin',  I  got  up  just  as  the  sun  was  risin', 
and  a  little  way  down  on  the  shore  of  the  lake  I  saw  a 
buck.  Wai,  he  was  one  of  'em — that  buck  was.  The 
horns  on  his  head  were  like  an  old-fashioned  round-posted 
chair,  and  if  they  hadn't  a  dozen  prongs  on  'em,  you  may 
skin  me !  He  wasn't  as  big  as  an  ox,  but  a  two-year-old 
that  could  match  him,  could  brag  of  a  pretty  rapid  growth. 
I  crept  up  behind  a  little  clump  of  bushes  to  about  fifteen 
rods  of  where  he  stood  on  the  sandy  beach,  and  sighting 
carefully  at  his  head,  let  drive.  My  gun  hung  fire  a  little, 


A  FIGHT   WITH  THE  BUCK.  171 

owin'  to  the  night-dews,  but  that  buck  went  down,  and 
after  kickin'  a  moment,  laid  still,  and  I  took  it  for  granted 
he  was  dead  So  I  laid  down  my  rifle,  and  went  up  to 
where  he  was,  and  with  my  huntin'  kuife  in  my  hand,  took 
hold  of  his  horn  to  raise  his  head  so  as  to  cut  his  throat. 
If  that  deer  was  dead,  he  came  to  life  mighty  quick ;  for 
I  had  no  sooner  touched  him,  than  he  sprang  to  his  feet, 
and  with  every  hair  standin'  straight  towards  his  head, 
came  like  a  mad  bull  at  me.  In  struggMn'  up  he  oversot 
me ;  and  •  as  he  made  his  drive  one  prong  went  through 
the  calf  of  my  leg.  I  plunged  my  knife  into  his  body, 
and  the  blood  spurted  all  over  me.  But  it  wasn't  no  use. 
He  smashed  down  upon  me  again,  and  made  that  hole  in 
my  leg  above  the  knee.  I  handled  my  knife  in  a  hurry, 
and  made  more  than  oue  hole  in  his  skin,  while  he  stuck 
a  prong  through  my  arm.  I  hollered  for  Crop,  who  was 
watching  the  shanty  as  his  duty  was.  The  old  buck  and 
I  had  it  rough  and  tumble  ;  sometimes  one  a-top,  and 
sometimes  the  other,  and  both  growin'  weak  from  loss  of 
blood.  May  be  we  didn't  kick  and  tussle  about,  and  tear 
up  the  sand  on  the  beach  of  the  lake  some!  The  buck 
was  game  to  the  backbone,  and  had  no  notion  of  givin' 
in,  and  I  had  to  fight  for  it,  or  die ;  so  up  and  down, 
over  and  over,*  and  all  around,  we  went  for  a  long  time, 
until  Crop  made  up  his  mind  that  my  callin'  so  earnestly 
meant  something,  and  round  the  point  he  came.  When 
he  saw  what  was  goin'  on,  you  ought  to've  seen  how  ff 


172  SOMETHING   LEARNED. 

went  in !  He  didn't  stop  to  ask  any  qnestions,  but  as  if 
possessed  by  all  the  furies  of  creation  he  lit  upon  that  buck, 
and  the  fight  was  up.  He  with  his  teeth,  and  I  with  my 
knife,  settled  the  matter  in  less  than  a  minute.  But,  Judge, 
let  me  tell  you,  that  buck  was  dangerous ;  and  if  Crop 
hadn't  been  around,  may  be  ther'd  have  been  the  bones 
of  man  and  beast  bleachin'  on  the  sandy  beach  of  Mud 
Lake !  I  bound  up  my  wounds  as  well  as  I  could — but 
it  was  tough  work  backin'  my  bark  canoe  over  the  carryin' 
places  on  Bog  River,  and  across  the  Ingen  carryin'  place, 
and  from  the  Tipper  Saranac  to  Round  Lake,  with  them 
holes  in  my  leg  and  arm,  and  the  other  bruises  I  received. 
When  I  got  out  to  the  settlements  I  was  mighty  glad  to 
lay  still  for  six  weeks,  and  when  I  got  around  again  I  was 
a  good  deal  leaner  than  I  am  now. 

"My  gun  hangin'  fire  made  my  bullet  go  wide  of  the 
spot  I  aimed  at.  It  had  grazed  his  skull  and  stunned  him 
for  a  little  time,  and  crazed  him  into  the  bargain.  I  learned 
more  fully  a  fact  that  I'd  an  idea  of  before,  by  my  fight 
with  that  deer,  and  it  is  this — that  it's  best  to  keep  out 
of  the  way  of  a  furious  buck  with  tall,  sharp  horns  oil  his 
head.  He's  a  dangerous  animal  to  handle. 

"  That's  one  of  the  adventures  that  I  went  out  into  the 
wilderness  arter,  and  found  without  lookin'  for  it  ;  aud 
I've  found  a  good  many  others  that  put  me  and  Crop  in 
a  tight  place  more  than  once.  I  backed  him  over  all  the 
carryin'  places  between  Little  Tapper's  and  the  Saranacs 


A    STORY   DEFERRED.  173 

once,  when  he  was  too  lame  and  weak  to  walk,  and  nussed 
him  for  a  month  afterwards.  But  that's  an  adventer  I'll 
tell  another  time.  There's  a  deal  of  excitement,  as  the 
Judge  calls  it,  outside  of  the  fences,  if  people  will  take  the 
pains  to  look  for  it  there." 


CHAPTER   XVI. 

ROUND  POND — THE  PILE  DRIVER — A  THEORY  FOR  SPIRITUALISTS. 

WE  put  up  out  tents  the  next  evening,  on  a  bold  bluff 
near  the  outlet  of  Round  Pond,  a  picturesque  and  plea- 
sant sheet  of  water,  some  eight  or  ten  miles  in  circum- 
ference. It  lay  there  still  and  waveless,  in  that  calm  sum- 
mer evening,  as  glassy  and  smooth  as  if  no  breeze  had 
ever  stirred  its  surface.  All  around  it  were  old  forests, 
old  hills  and  rocks,  and  away  off  in  the  distance  were  the 
tall  peaks  of  the  Adirondacks,  standing  up  grim,  solemn, 
and  shadowy  in  the  distance.  These  peaks  are  seen  from 
almost  every  direction.  They  tower  so  far  above  the  sur- 
rounding highlands,  that  they  seem  always  to  be  peering 
over  the  intervening  ranges,  as  if  holding  an  everlasting 
watch  over  the  broad  wilderness  beneath  them.  This  lake 
is  probably  more  than  a  thousand  feet  above  the  Rackett, 
and  the  river  falls  that  distance  principally  at  the  two 
rapids  around  which  our  boats  were  carried.  The  rest 
of  the  way  it  is  a  deep,  sluggish  stream,  so  that  the  descent 

174 


BOUND   POND.  175 

may  be  reckoned  within  less  than  three  miles.  A  ledge 
of  rocks  forms  the  lower  boundary  of  the  lake,  through 
which  the  water,  at  some  remote  period,  broke  its  way,  and 
it  goes  roaring  down  rapids  for  three-quarters  of  a  mile,  then 
moves  in  a  sluggish  current  across  a  plain  of  several  miles 
in  extent ;  then  plunges  down  a  steep  descent  for  over  a 
mile  and  a  half  to  subside  again  into  quiet,  and  move  on 
with  a  sluggish  current  to  plunge  down  the  ledges  again 
into  Tupper's  Lake.  There  are  no  perpendicular  falls  of 
more  than  twenty  feet,  but  the  water  goes  plunging,  and 
boiling,  and  foaming  down  shelving  rocks,  and  eddying, 
and  whirling  around  immense  boulders,  rushing  and  roaring 
through  the  gorges  with  a  voice  like  thunder.  These  falls 
are  all  useless  here,  and  probably  will  be  for  centuries 
to  come  ;  but  were  they  out  in  the  "  living  world,"  in  the 
midst  of  civilization,  with .  a  fertile  and  populous  region 
about  them,  they  would  soon  be  harnessed  to  great  wheels, 
and  made  utilitarian  ;  the  clank  of  machinery  would  soon 
be  heard  above  the  roar  of  their  waters.  They  would  do 
an  immensity  of  labor  on  their  retnrnless  journey  to  the 
ocean.  But  'here,  they  are  utterly  valueless,  wasting  their 
mighty  power  upon  desolate  rocks,  rushing  in  mad  and 
impotent  fury  forever  through  a  region  of  barrenness  and 
sterility,  so  far  as  the  uses  of  civilization  are  concerned, 
a  region  where  the  manufacturer  or  the  agriculturist  will 
never  tarry,  until  the  world  shall  be  so  full  of  people  that 
necessity  will  drive  them  to  the  mountains,  to  build  up  the 
waste  places  of  the  earth. 


176  BOUND  POND. 

Opposite,  and  across  the  bay  from  where  our  tents  were 
pitched,  I  noticed  that  a  small  stream  entered  the  lake,  and 
Smith  and  myself  crossed  over  to  experiment  among  the 
trout  I  knew  would  be  gathered  there.  We  were  entirely 
successful,  for  we  took  one  at  almost  every  throw.  I  have 
more  than  once  stated,  that  the  trout  of  these  lakes  and 
rivers,  in  the  warm  season,  congregate  where  the  cold 
streams  enter ;  and  if  the  sportsman  will  search  out  the 
little  brooks,  no  matter  how  small,  and  cast  his  fly  across 
where  their  waters  enter  the  lake  or  river,  he  will  be  sure  to 
find  trout  in  any  of  the  hot  summer  months. 

We  returned  to  camp  before  the  sun  went  behind  the  hills, 
with  our  fish  ready  for  the  pan,  and  our  boatmen  provided 
us  with  a  meal  of  jerked  venison,  pork,  and  trout,  which  an 
epicure  might  envy,  and  to  which  a  hard  day's  journey  and 
an  appetite  sharpened  by  the  bracing  influence  of  the  pure 
mountain  air,  gave  a  peculiar  relish.  It  was  a  pleasant 
thing  to  see  the  moon  come  up  from  among  the  trees  that 
formed  a  dark  outline  to  the  lake  away  off  to  the  east,  and 
travel  up  into  the  sky  ;  to  see  how  faithfully  it  was  given 
back  from  down  in  the  stirless  waters,  and  how  the  stars 
twinkled  and  glowed  around  it  in  the  depths  below,  as  they 
they  did  in  the  depths  above.  There  was  the  moon,  and 
there  the  stars,  all  bright  and  glorious  in  the  heavens  above ; 
and  there  another  moon,  and  other  stars,  as  bright  and 
glorious,  down  in  the  vault  below  ;  the  lake  floating,  as  it 
were,  an  almost  viewless  mist,  a  shadowy  and  transparent 
veil  between. 


THE   PrLE-DEIVEE.  177 

As  we  sat,  in  the  greyness  of  twilight,  in  front  of  onr 
tents,  a  curious  sound  came  over  the  lake  from  the  opposite 
shore,  so  like  civilization  that  it  startled  us  for  a  moment. 
Here  we  were,  fifty  miles  from  a  house,  away  in  the  forest 
beyond  the  sound  of  anything  savoring  of  human  agency, 
and  yet  we  heard  distinctly  what  was  for  all  the  world  like 
the  blows  of  an  axe  or  hammer  upon  a  stake,  driving  it  into 
the  earth.  It  had  the  peculiar  ring,  which  any  one  will  re- 
cognise who  has  driven  a  stake  into  ground  covered  with 
water,  by  blows  given  by  the  side  instead  of  the  head  of  an 
axe.  These  blows  were  given  at  intervals  so  regular,  that 
we  all  suspended  smoking,  certain  that  there  were  other 
sportsmen  beside  ourselves  in  the  neighborhood  of  this  lake. 

"  Who  in  the  world  is  that  ?"  asked  Smith,  of  Martin,  who 
seemed  to  enjoy  onr  astonishment. 

"That,"  replied  Martin,  "is  a  gentleman  known  in  these 
parts  as  the  '  Pile-driver.'  He  visits  all  these  lakes  in  the 
summer  season,  and  though,  as  a  general  thing,  he  travels 
alone,  yet  he  sometimes  has  half  a  dozen  friends  with  him. 
If  you'll  listen  a  moment,  may  be  you'll  find  that  he  has 
a  friend  in  the  neighborhood  now  who  will  drive  a  pile  in 
another  place." 

Sure  enough,  in  a  moment  the  same  ringing  blows  came 
from  a  reedy  spot  in  a  different  part  of  the  bay. 

"  The  bird  that  makes  that  noise,"  said  Martin,  "is  about 
the  homeliest  creature  in  these  woods.  It  is  a  small  grey 
heron,  that  lights  down  among  the  grass  and  weeds  to  hunt 
for  small  frogs  and  such  little  fish  as  swim  along  the  shore. 

8* 


178  INDIGNANT   SPIRITS. 

When  he  drives  his  pile,  he  stands  with  his  neck  and  long 
bill  pointed  straight  up,  and  pumping  the  air  into  his  throat, 
sends  it  out  with  the  strange  sound  you  have  heard.  It  is 
the  resemblance  of  the  sound  to  that  made  by  driving  a 
stake  into  ground  covered  with  water,  that  gives  him  his 
name.  He's  an  awkward,  filthy  bird,  but  he  helps  to  make 
up  the  noises  one  hears  in  these  wild  regions." 

"  My  first  thought  was,"  said  Smith,  "  that  we  had  got 
among  the  spirits  of  the  woods,  and  that  they  were  '  rap- 
ping '  their  indignation  at  our  presence,  there  was  something 
so  human  about  it." 

"  By  the  way,"  remarked  the  Doctor,  "  and  you  remind 
me  of  the  subject,  what  a  strange  delusion  is  this  Spiritual- 
ism, to  the  'manifestations'  of  which  you  refer,  and  how 
singular  it  is  that  men  of  strong  natural  sense  and  cultivated 
minds,  should  be  drawn  into  it.  We  all  know  such.  Their 
delusion,  too,  is^stronger  than  mere  speculative  belief.  It  is 
a  faith  which  to  them  appears  to  amount  to  absolute  know- 
ledge. They  have  no  doubt  or  hesitancy  on  the  subject. 
Their  convictions  are  perfect ;  such,  that  were  they  as  strong 
in  their  faith  as  Christians,  as  they  are  in  the  reality  of 
Spiritualism,  they  would  be  able  to  move  mountains." 

"I  have  noticed  this  intensity  of  their  faith,"  said  Smith; 
"  and  while  I  utterly  reject  the  whole  theory  of  Spiritualism, 
I  could  never  join  in  the  ridicule  of  its  earnest  devotees. 
There  is  something  that  commands  my  respect  in  this  strong 
faith,  when  honestly  entertained,  however  stupendous  the 
error  may  be  to  which  it  clings.  There  is  something,  to  my 


SPREAD  OF   SPIRITUALISM.  179 

mind,  too  solemn  for  derision  in  the  idea  of  communing  with 
the  spirits  of  the  departed  ~  or  that  the  time  is  approaching 
when  living  men  and  the  souls  of  the  physically  dead,  are  to 
meet,  as  it  were,  face  to  face,  and  know  each  other  as  they 
are.  It  is  one  which  I  can,  and  do  reject,  but  cannot  ridi- 
cule. The  world,  however,  regards  it  differently.  And  yet 
with  all  the  contempt  and  derision  that  has  been  poured 
upon  this  singular  delusion,  its  devotees  have  multiplied  be- 
yond all  precedent  in  the  history  of  the  world.  They  num- 
ber, it  is  said,  in  this  country  alone,  millions,  and  have  some 
forty  or  more  newspapers  in  the  exclusive  advocacy  of  their 
theory." 

"  The  wise  people  of  this  world,"  said  Spalding,  "  that  is, 
those  who  are  wise  in  their  day  and  generation,  laugh  at  the 
believers  in  this  modern  theory  of  Spiritualism.  They  pity 
them,  too,  as  the  unhappy  devotees  of  a  faith  which  sober 
reason  and  all  the  experience  of  the  past  prove  to  be  as  un- 
substantial as  the  moonbeams  that  dance  upon  the  waters  at 
midnight.  Still  these  same  devotees  point  to  the  demon- 
strations of  what  they  regard  as  living  facts,  phenomena  pal- 
pable to  the  senses,  things  that  appeal  to  the  eye,  the  ear, 
and  the  touch,  and  say  that  these  are  higher  proofs  than  all 
the  dogmas  of  philosophy,  all  the  observation  and  experience 
of  former  times,  all  the  logic  of  the  past.  And  here  is  the 
issue  between  Spiritualism  and  the  mass  of  mankind  who 
deride  and  contemn  it. 

"  Now,  be  it  known  to  you,  that  I  am  no  Spiritualist.  I 
reject  not  all  the  evidences  of  the  phenomena  upon  which 


180  A   THEORY   FOB   SPIRITUALISTS. 

it  is  based,  but  I  utterly  deny  that  such  phenomena  are  the 
works  of  disembodied  spirits.  I  myself  have  seen  what  ut- 
terly confounded  me,  and  while  I  reject  all  idea  of  super- 
natural agencies,  all  interposition  of  departed  spirits,  yet  I 
have  become  thoroughly  satisfied  that  there  are  more  things 
in  heaven  and  earth  than  are  dreamed  of  in  our  philosophy. 
These  phenomena  of  which  the  Spiritualists  speak,  I  will  not 
undertake  to  pronounce  all  lies.  Some  of  them  are  doubt- 
less impostures — the  work  of  knaves,  who  speculate  upon  the 
credulity  and  superstitions  which  are  attributes  of  the  human 
mind  ;  but  they  are  not  all  such.  But  while  I  admit  their 
reality,  I  insist  that  such  as  are  so,  are  the  results  of  natural 
laws,  which  will  one  day  be  discovered,  and  which  will  turn 
out  to  be  as  simple  as  tie  spirit  which  presides  over  the 
telegraph,  or  that  which  constitutes  the  life  of  a  steam  en- 
gine. There  may  be,  and  probably  is,  a  great  undiscovered 
principle  which  underlays  these  spiritual  manifestations,  as 
they  are  called,  and  MIND  is  after  it,  looking  for  it  care- 
fully ;  and  what  MIND  has  once  started  in  pursuit  of  earnestly, 
it  seldom  fails  to  overtake. 

"  I  have  sometimes  amused  myself  by  endeavoring  to  fur- 
nish a  theory  for  the  Spiritualists  to  stand  upon,  based  upon 
the  demonstrations  of  the  past,  the  evidences  brought  to 
light  by  the  researches  of  science,  which  at  all  events  should 
have  about  it  truth  enough  to  give  color  and  respectability 
even  to  an  error  as  stupendous  as  that  of  Spiritualism. 
This  theory  I  have  predicated  upon  the  progress  of  the  ma- 
terial world,  aside  from  animal  life,  showing  that  what  may 


A  THEORY   EOE   SPIRITUALISTS.  181 

have  been  impossible  thousands  of  years  ago,  may  be  pos- 
sible, or  about  becoming  possible  now  ;  that  we  are  about 
entering  upon  a  new  era  in  the  advancement  of  all  things 
towards  perfectability,  and  that  the  advent  of  that  era  may 
be  marked  by  an  established  communication  between  the 
living  and  the  spirits  of  the  departed. 

"Science  demonstrates  that  the  material  world  presents  in 
its  history  an  illustration  of  the  great  principle  and  theory 
of  progress.  It  is  quite  certain  that  our  planet  was  once  a 
very  different  thing  from  what  it  is  now  ;  it  differed  in  form, 
in  substance,  in  compactness,  in  everything  from  its  present 
condition.  We  do  not  know  that  it  was  once  wholly 
aeriform,  mere  gasses  in  combination,  too  crude  to  admit  of 
solidarity;  but  reasoning  back  from  established  facts,  the 
conclusion  is  almost  irresistible,  that  this  earth,  now  so 
rock-ribbed  and  solid,  so  ponderous,  so  ragged  with  moun- 
tain ranges,  and  cloud  piercing  peaks,  was  once  but  vapor, 
floating  without  form  through  limitless  space,  drifting  as 
mere  nebulous  matter  among  the  older  creations  of  God. 
However  this  may  be,  it  is  regarded  as  quite  certain,  that 
time  was  when  it  was  entirely  void  of  solidarity,  void  of  dry 
land,  with  no  continent,  island,  or  solid  ground,  with  no  liv- 
ing thing  within  its  circumference.  It  was  thus  passing 
through  one  of  the  remote  eras  of  its  existence.  It  was 
then  young,  just  emerging,  as  it  were,  from  nothingness, 
growing  into  form,  assuming  shape,  and  gathering  attributes 
of  fitness  for  exterior  vitality,  preparing  the  way  for  higher 
existences  than  mere  inorganic  matter. 


182         THE  EARTH'S  PROGRESS. 

"  How  long  this  era  existed,  science  has  failed  to  demon- 
strate, but  it  passed  away,  and  solid  land  marked  the  next 
era  of  the  earth's  progress.  It  was  surrounded  by  an 
atmosphere  absolutely  fatal  to  animal  life  ;  an  atmosphere 
which,  while  it  stimulated  vegetable  growth,  no  living  thing 
could  breathe  and  continue  to  live.  Hence  it  was,  that 
vegetation,  gigantic  almost  beyond  conception,  covered  its 
surface.  Fern,  which  is  now  a  pigmy  plant,  nowhere  higher 
than  a  few  feet,  grew  tall  and  overshadowing  like  great 
oaks,  while  oaks,  it  is  fair  to  presume,  towered  thousands  of 
feet  towards  the  sky.  These  stupendous  forests  stood  alone 
upon  the  surface  of  the  earth  ;  no  animals  wandered  through 
their  fastnesses  ;  no  birds  sported  amidst  their  mighty 
branches  ;  noxious  exhalations  came  steaming  up  from  their 
tangled  recesses,  and  their  gloomy  shadows  lay  a  mantle  of 
darkness  over  dreary  and  lifeless  solitudes.  The  storms 
raged,  and  the  winds  howled  ;  the  sun  travelled  its  daily 
rounds,  with  its  light  dimmed  and  clouded  by  the  pestilen- 
tial vapors  it  exhaled,  and  silence,  so  far  as  the  sounds  of 
animal  life  were  concerned,  reigned  supreme — the  stillness 
of  the  grave,  the  quiet  of  utter  desolation,  save  the  voice  of 
the  wind  or  the  storm,  was  unbroken  all  over  the  face  of 
the  earth.  Onward,  and  onward,  rolled  this  mighty  orb  on 
its  pathway  through  the  heavens,  bearing  with  it  no  animal 
existences,  freighted  with  no  human  hopes — carrying  with 
it  nothing  of  human  destiny.  Man,  with  all  his  lofty  aspira- 
tions, his  mighty  schemes,  his  glory,  and  his  pride,  was  a 
thing  of  the  future.  He  had  not  yet  emerged  from  the 


THE  EARTH'S  PROGRESS.        183 

eternity  of  the  past,  to  grapple  with  the  present,  or  encoun- 
ter the  retributions  of  the  eternity"  which  is  to  come.  This 
was  the  era  of  gigantic  vegetable  growth,  and  it  had  its 
uses  ^  for  it  was  preparing  the  way  for  higher  and  more 
complicated  existences.  As  the  gases  that  surrounded  the 
earth  became  consolidated  into  vegetation,  as  this  stupen- 
dous growth  decomposed  the  noxious  atmosphere,  drawing 
from  it  its  grosser  particles  and  working  them  up  into  solid 
matter,  extracting  from  it  what  was  fatal  to  animal  life,  this 
earth  entered  upon  another  era  of  its  progress. 

"Animal  life  made  its  appearance.  It  was  weak  and 
feeble  at  first,  but  a  step  removed  from  vegetable  matter. 
The  molusca,  the  polypi,  and  the  rudest  forms  of  fishes, 
were,  beyond  question,  the  first  of  living  things.  Science 
demonstrates  that  the  water  brought  forth  the  first  creations 
endowed  with  animal  vitality.  How  long  this  era  continued 
no  man  can  tell.  Then  came  the  amphibiae,  gigantic  animals 
of  the  Ihsard  kind  ;  the  sauruses,  that  could  reach  with  their 
long  necks  and  ponderous  jaws  across  a  street  and  pick  up  a 
man,  if  street  and  man  there  had  been.  Then  came  land 
animals,  monstrous  in  growth,  by  the  side  of  which  the 
elephant  dwindles  to  the  diminutive  stature  of  the  dormouse. 
In  all  these  advances,  was  a  succession  of  steps,  mounting 
higher  and  higher,  in  complication  of  structure,  each  more 
perfect  in  organism  than  its  predecessor.  Vegetation  itself 
became  more  complicated,  and  as  it  approached  perfection 
lost  its  gigantic  growth.  Solidarity,  compactness  in  all 
things,  became  the  order  of  nature ;  the  atmosphere  sur- 


184  THE   ADVENT   OF  MAN. 

rounding  the  earth,  became  more  and  more  fitted  for  the 
higher  and  more  complicated  animal  organizations.  At  last 
when  time  was  ripe  for  his  advent,  when  the  earth  was  fitted 
for  his  residence,  and  the  air  for  his  breathing,  MAN,  the  last 
and  most  perfect  in  his  structure,  the  most  delicate  and 
finished  in  his  organization  of  all  living  things,  made  his 
appearance.  He  stepped  from  the  hand  of  God,  the  only 
thinking,  reflecting,  the  only  intellectual,  responsible  being, 
in  all  the  world.  He  stood  at  the  head  of  created  matter, 
with  all  things  on  the  earth  subject  to  his  will,  and  corres- 
ponding to  his  condition,  his  attributes,  his  necessities,  and 
his  instincts. 

"  Thus  this  great  earth  itself,  has  been  but  one  continued 
illustration  of  the  great  theory  and  principle  of  progress. 
From  a  beginning,  lost  in  the  thick  darkness  of  a  past 
eternity,  it  has  been  marching  forward  in  a  career  as  pause- 
less  as  the  sun  in  his  journeyings  through  the  sky,  as  clearly 
demonstrable  as  the  growth  of  the  germ  that  starts  from  the 
buried  acorn,  and  moves  on  to  its  full  development  in  the 
great  oak.  Science  records  with  unerring  certainty  the  pro- 
gress of  the  earth,  and  of  animal  life,  from  the  lowest  exis- 
tences in  the  mollusca  and  polypi,  up  to  the  superlatively 
complicated,  and  deh'cate  structure  of  man,  tracing  it  step 
by  step,  until  it  is  finished  in  the  noblest  work  of  God,  a 
human  body  coupled  with  an  immortal  soul ! 

"  And  here  arises  a  question  which  science  has  not  solved, 
and  to  which  the  philosophy,  the  wisdom,  the  logic  of  the 
past  can  give  no  answer.  The  earth,  and  the  things  of  the 


A  QUESTION   PROPOUNDED.  185 

earth,  have  been  moving  forward,  marching  on  towards  per- 
fectability  always.  Is  this  forward  movement  finished  ?  We 
have,  in  looking  at  the  subject  in  the  light  of  science,  a  time 
when  there  was  not  on  the  earth,  hi  the  air,  or  in  the  water, 
any  living  thing.  We  have  an  era  when  animal  life  was 
but  a  span  removed  from  vegetable  vitality  ;  we  have  an 
era  of  gigantic  vegetable  growth ;  an  era  of  gigantic  but 
rude  animal  growth,  and  so  on  step  by  step  down  to  the 
advent  of  man.  The  previous  combinations  of  animal  life 
and  vegetable  life  passed  away  with  the  era  in  which  they 
flourished  ;  one  class  succeeding  another,  each  emerging 
from,  and  stepping  over  the  annihilation  of  its  predecessor, 
till  we  come  down  to  the  present — is  there  no  future  pro- 
gress for  this  earth  as  a  planet  ?  Is  there  to  be  no  other 
era,  where  man  himself,  like  the  sauruses,  like  the  mastodon, 
shall  have  passed  away,  to  be  succeeded  by  some  nobler 
animal  structure,  some  loftier  intelligence,  some  more  cun- 
ning invention  of  the  infinite  mind  ? 

"  Man,  great  in  intellect,  powerful  in  mind,  gifted  with 
reason,  and  having  within  him  a  spirit  that  is  immortal, 
proud,  glorious,  aspiring  as  he  is,  falls  very  far  short  of  per- 
fection in  every  attribute  of  his  nature.  To  say,  therefore, 
that  the  prescience,  the  creative  power  of  the  Almighty, 
reached  the  limit  of  its  achievements  in  the  creation  of  man, 
is  to  impeach  the  omnipotence  of  God  himself.  Will  any 
man  insist  that  the  ingenuity  of  the  Almighty  is  exhausted  ? 
May  it  not  be,  then  that  the  tune  will  come  when  some 
sentient  beings,  as  far  superior  to  man,  as  man  is  to  the 


186  A  QUESTION  PBOPOUNDED. 

animals  of  the  era  of  the  lizards  and  the  amphibia,  shall, 
like  the  geologists  of  the  present  day,  be  delving  among  the 
rocks  and  rubbish  of  vanished  ages,  for  evidences  of  the 
existences  of  our  own  proud  species  at,  to  them,  some  remote 
period  of  the  world's  progress  ? 

"  If  these  questions  cannot  be  answered  by  the  learned 
and  the  wise,  if  science  makes  no  response,  and  philosophy 
furnishes  no  solution  of  them,  who  dare  say  that  the  world 
is  not,  even  now,  entering  upon  a  new  era  of  progress,  tak- 
ing another  step  in  the  forward  movement  ?  May  it  not  be, 
that  the  time  is  coming  when  the  barrier  between  the  living, 
and  the  disembodied  spirit  is  to  be  broken  down  ?  When 
that  viewless  essence,  that  mystery  of  mysteries,  the  spirit 
of  life,  the  immortal  soul,  shall  be  permitted  to  come  back 
from  the  unknown  country,  to  impart  to  the  people  of  this 
world,  the  wisdom,  the  mysteries,  and  the  glory  of  the  next  ? 
May  not  this  be  the  new  era  that  is  about  opening  hi  the 
progress  of  all  things  ?  It  may  be  asked,  is  it  not  possible 
that  a  new  principle  is  about  being  evolved,  that  will  admit 
of  communication  between  the  living  and  the  physically 
dead  ?  May  it  not  be  that  the  world  and  its  surroundings, 
have  become  so  changed,  that  what  was  impossible  thou- 
sands, or  even  hundreds,  of  years  ago,  may  have  become, 
or  be  about  to  become  possible  now  ?  That  the  same  pro- 
cess which  carried  this  earth  forward  from  the  beginning, 
that  so  changed  the  atmosphere  of  old,  rendered  it  fit  to 
sustain  animal  life  in  its  rudest  structure,  that  so  changed  it 
again,  as  to  make  it  capable  of  sustaining  a  higher  order  of 


A  QUESTION   PROPOUNDED.  187 

animal  organism,  that  kept  on  changing,  and  improving  the 
whole  face  of  the  earth,  that  so  arranged  organic  matter,  as 
to  make  this  world,  at  last,  a  fit  residence  for  man,  may  be 
going  on  still ;  approaching  all  things  nearer,  and  nearer  to 
perfection,  until  we  have  arrived  upon  the  threshold  of  an 
era,  when  living  men  may  commune  with  the  spirits  of  the 
physically  dead  ?  An  era  as  yet  but  in  its  dawn,  when  the 
stupendous  future  can  be  seen  only  as  through  a  glass 
darkly  ? 

"  Eemember,  I  do  not  assert  my  faith  in  a  theory  which 
is  indicated  by  an  affirmative  answer  to  these  inquiries,  for  I 
have  none.  I  give  the  record  of  the  earth's  progress  in  the 
past,  as  it  is  written  upon  the  rocks,  standing  out  upon 
precipices,  brought  to  light  by  the  researches,  and  translated 
by  the  energy  of  science  from  forgotten  and  buried  ages. 
The  deductions  to  be  drawn  from  it,- 1  leave  to  those  who 
have  a  taste  for  the  speculative,  neither  believing  in,  nor 
quarrelling  with  the  theory  which  they  may  predicate  upon 
it." 


CHAPTER  XVII. 

LITTLE   TUPPER'S   LAKE  —  A  SPIKE   BUCK  —  A  THUNDER   STORM   IN 
THE   FOREST  —  THE   HOWL   OF   THE   WOLF. 


spent  the  next  day  in  coasting  Round  Pond,  looking 
into  its  secluded  bays,  and  resting,  when  the  sun  was  hot, 
beneath  the  shadows  of  the  brave  old  trees  that  line  the 
banks.  In  floating  along  the  shore  of  this  beautiful  sheet 
of  water,  one  can  hardly  help  imagining  that  in  the  broken 
rocks  and  rough  stones  piled  up  along  the  margin  of  the 
lake,  he  sees  the  ruins  of  an  ancient  wall,  the  mortar  of 
which  has  become  disintegrated  by  time,  and  the  masonry 
fallen  down.  He  will  see  at  intervals  what,  from  a  little 
distance,  seems  like  a  solid  wall  of  stone,  laid  with  care,  and 
upon  which  the  lapse  of  centuries  has  wrought  no  change,  so 
regular  are  the  strata  of  which  it  is  composed,  while  an 
occasional  boulder,  large  as  a  house,  and  covered  with  moss, 
reminds  him  of  the  ruined  tower  of  some  stronghold.  He 
will  see,  as  he  rounds  some  rocky  point,  half  a  dozen  of 
these  gigantic  boulders  piled  together,  leaning  against  each 
other  with  great  cavernous  openings  between,  through  which 

188 


A  SPIKE  BUCK.  189 

he  can  walk  erect,  and  he  involuntarily  looks  around  him 
for  the  armor  of  the  ancient  giants  who  piled  up  these  stu- 
pendous rocks  and  walled  in  the  lake  with  these  massive 
boulders. 

As  we  swept  around  a  point  near  the  south  shore  of  the 
lake,  we  saw  a  deer  at  a  quarter  of  a  mile  from  us,  feeding 
upon  the  lily  pads  that  grew  along  the  shore.  Spalding  and 
myself  were  in  advance  of  our  little  fleet,  and  our  boatman 
paddled  us  carefully  and  silently  towards  the  animal,  using 
the  paddle  only  when  its  head  was  down.  He  would  feed  for 
a  minute  or  two  and  then  look  carefully  all  around  him.  Of 
us  he  took  no  particular  notice,  although  we  were  within 
a  hundred  and  fifty  yards  of  him  ;  and  even  when  we 
were  within  sixty  yards  he  seemed  to  regard  us  only  as  a 
log  floating  upon  the  water,  or  something  else  which  might 
be  regarded  as  perfectly  harmless.  Spalding  was  in  the 
bow  of  the  boat,  and  when  within  some  eight  rods  of  the 
game,  we  lay  perfectly  quiet  for  a  moment,  when  his  rule 
spoke  out  and  its  voice  rung  and  re-echoed  among  the  sur- 
rounding hills  as  if  a  whole  platoon  of  musketry  were  blaz- 
ing all  around  us.  The  deer  made  three  or  four  desperate 
leaps  in  a  zigzag  direction,  and  then  went  down.  When 
we  got  to  him,  he  was  dead.  He  was  a  fine  two  year  old 
buck,  with  spike  horns,  and  in  excellent  condition.  We  took 
his  saddle  and  skin  and  passed  on. 

From  Round  Pond  we  rowed  up  the  inlet,  a  broad  and 
sluggish  stream,  full  of  grass  and  lily  pads,  to  Little  Tupper's 
Lake.  We  saw  several  deer  feeding  along  the  shore  that, 


190  A  THUNDER   6TOKM   EST   THE   FOEE6T. 

discovering  us  as  we  rowed  carelessly  along,  went  whistling 
and  snorting  away  into  the  forest.  As  we  approached  the 
lake,  dark  clouds  gathered  in  the  West ;  great  ugly  looking 
thunderheads  came  rolling  up  from  behind  the  hills  higher 
and  higher  ;  perfect  stillness  was  all  around  us  ;  the  leaves 
were  moveless  on  the  trees,  and  the  voices  of  the  birds  were 
hushed. 

"  Squire,"  said  Martin  to  me  "  I'm  thinkin'  we'd  better  go 
ashore  and  put  up  our  tents  ;  there's  a  mighty  big  storm 
over  the  hill,  and  he'll  be  down  this  way  before  many 
minutes.* 

And  we  rowed  to  a  high  point  at  a  small  distance, 
covered  with  spruce  and  fir  trees,  and  put  up  our  tents  on 
the  lee  side  of  it,  so  as  to  be  sheltered  from  the  wind  as  well 
as  the  rain.  This  was  the  work  of  only  ten  minutes  ;  but 
before  we  had  finished,  the  deep  voice  of  the  thunder  came 
rolling  over  the  forest,  and  we  could  see  the  storm  rising 
over  the  hills,  ha  a  long  black  line,  all  across  the  Western 
sky.  The  lightning  darted  down  towards  the  earth/  or 
across  from  cloud  to  cloud,  and  the  thunder  boomed  and 
rolled  along  the  heavens,  its  deep  rumble  shaking  the 
ground  like  an  earthquake.  Presently,  the  hills  were  hid- 
den from  our  view,  we  heard  the  rush  of  the  storm  in  the 
forest  on  the  other  side  of  the  river,  then  the  splash  of  the 
big  drops  on  the  water,  and  then  the  wind  and  the  rain  were 
upon  us.  For  a  few  minutes,  I  thought  our  tents  would  have 
been  lifted  bodily  from  the  ground,  but  the  skill  of  our 
pioneer  had  provided  against  the  blast,  and  they  remained 


A   BEAUTIFUL   VIEW.  191 

standing  safely  over  us.  In  a  short  time  the  wind  passed 
on,  leaving  the  heavy  rain  to  pour  down  in  torrents,  and  tho 
deep  voiced  thunder  to  come  crashing  down  to  the  earth,  or 
go  rolling  solemnly  and  heavily  along  the  sky.  It  rained 
for  an  hour  as  it  can  do  only  among  these  mountain  regions. 
The  clouds  and  the  rain  at  length  swept  on,  and  the  bow  of 
promise  spanned  the  rear  of  the  retiring  storm  ;  a  new  joy 
seemed  to  take  possession  of  the  wild  things,  and  gladness 
and  merriment  sounded  from  every  direction  in  the  old 
woods  ;  a  thin  and  shadowy  mist  hung  like  a  veil  over  the 
water,  and  a  refreslu'ng  coolness,  as  well  as  brightness  and 
glory,  were  all  around  us.  These  storms  of  a  hot  summer 
day  in  this  high  region,  if  one  is  prepared  for  them,  are  full 
of  pleasant  interest  ;  they  rise  so  majestically,  sweep  along 
with  such  power,  and  pass  away  so  triumphantly,  leaving 
behind  them  such  a  calm  sweetness  in  the  air,  that  a  jour- 
ney to  this  wilderness  would  be  imperfect  in  interest  without 
witnessing  them. 

We  entered  Little  Tupper's  Lake  towards  evening,  at  the 
north  end,  and  looking  down  south,  one  of  the  most  beau- 
tiful yiews  imaginable  opened  upon  our  vision.  Surrounded 
by  low  and  undulating  hills,  dotted  with  islands,  with  long 
points  running  far  out  into  the  lake,  and  pleasant  little  bays 
hiding  around  behind  wooded  promontories,  it  presented  a 
wild  yet  pleasing  landscape,  on  which  a  painter's  eye  could 
not  rest  but  with  delight,  and  which,  transferred  to  canvas, 
would  make  a  picture  of  which  any  artist  might  be  proud. 

By  the  way,  I  wonder  that  our  artists  do  not  summer 


192  SQUATTER   SOVEREIGNTY. 

among  these  mountains  and  lakes,  sketching  and  painting  the 
transcendently  beautiful  views  they  everywhere  present. 
There  is  nothing  like  them  on  all  this  continent.  We  talk 
about  the  scenery  of  Lake  George.  It  is  all  tame  and 
spiritless  compared  with  what  may  be  seen  here  ;  it  possesses 
not  a  tithe  of  the  variety,  the  bold  and  grand,  the  placid 
and  beautiful,  all  mingled,  and  changing  always,  as  you  pass 
from  point  to  point  along  these  lakes.  Why  do  not  the 
artists  whose  business  it  is  to  make  the  "canvas  speak," 
drift  out  this  way,  and  deal  with  nature  in  all  her  ancient 
loveliness,  clothed  in  her  primeval  robes,  and  smiling  in  her 
freshness  and  beauty,  as  when  thrown  from  the  hand  of 
Deity?  It  would  repay  them  for  their  labor,  and  yield 
them  a  rich  harvest  of  gain. 

We  had  heard  of  the  shanty  in  which  we  were  to  encamp, 
and  we  rowed  straight  through  the  whole  length  of  the  lake 
towards  it.  We  reached  it  as  the  sun  wa%  going  down,  and 
stowed  away  our  luggage  before  the  darkness  had  gathered 
over  the  forest.  We  took  possession  by  the  right  of  squat- 
ter sovereignty,  the  owner  being  unknown,  or  at  all  events, 
absent  from  the  woods.  This  lake  is  one  of  the  few  in  all 
this  region  that  I  had  never  visited  before,  and  is  next  in 
beauty  to  its  namesake,  two  days'  journey  nearer  to  civiliza- 
tion. It  is  about  twelve  miles  in  length,  and  from  one  to 
two  miles  in  width,  with  many  beautiful  bays  stealing  around 
behind  bold  rocky  promontories,  and  sleeping  in  qniet  beauty 
under  the  shadows  of  the  tall  forest  trees  that  tower  above 
their  shores.  It  is  dotted,  too,  with  beautiful  islands,  some 


THE  DENIZENS  OF  THE  FOREST.        193 

rising  with  a  gentle  slope  from  the  water,  covered  with  scat- 
tering Norway  pines,  and  a  dense  undergrowth  of  low 
bushes  ;  others  are  covered  with  tall  spruce,  fir,  and  hem- 
locks, standing  up  in  stately  and  solemn  grandeur,  their 
arms  lovingly  intertwined,  through  the  everlasting  verdure  of' 
which  the  sun  never  shines ;  and  others  still  are  gigantic  rocks, 
rising  up  out  of  the  deep  water,  all  treeless  and  shrubless, 
remaining  always  in  brown  and  barren  desolation,  on  which 
the  eagle  and  osprey  devour  their  prey,  and  the  flocks  of 
gulls  that  frequent  the  lake  'light  to  rest  from  their  almost 
ceaseless  flight.  Civilization  has  not  as  yet  marred  in  any- 
thing this  beautiful  sheet  of  water  ;  even  the  lumberman  has 
not  forced  his  way  to  the  majestic  old  pines  that  tower  in 
stately  grandeur  above  the  forest  trees  of  a  lesser  growth  ; 
not  a  foot  of  land  has  been  cleared  within  thirty  miles  of  it. 
The  old  woods  stand  around  it  just  as  God  placed  them,  in 
all  their  pristinDsolemnity,  stately  and  motionless  ;  the  wild 
things  that  roamed  among  them  in  the  day  of  old,  are  there 
still,  and  the  same  species  of  birds  that  sported  in  their 
branches  thousands  of  years  ago,  are  there  still.  We  heard 
the  howl  of  the  wolf  at  night  ;  we  heard  the  scream  of  the 
panther  ;  we  saw  the  tracks  of  the  .moose,  and  where  he 
had  fed  on  the  pastures  along  the  shore  ;  we  saw  the  foot- 
prints of  a  huge  bear  in  the  sand  en  the  beach,  and  the 
deer-paths  were  like  those  that  lead  to  a  sheep-fold.  It  was 
a  pleasant  thing  to  row  along  the  shore,  into  the  bays, 
around  the  islands,  and  into  the  creeks  that  came  in  from 
other  little  lakes  deeper  in  the  wilderness.  The  banks  are 

9 


194  THE  HOWL  OF  THE  WOLF. 

mostly  bold  and  bluff,  the  rocks  standing  up  four  or  eight  feet 
from  the  water,  or  broken  and  fallen  like  an  ancient  wall. 
Here  and  there  is  a  long  stretch  of  beautiful  sandy  beach, 
on  which  the  tiny  waves  break  with  a  rippling  song,  and 
from  which  bars  go  out  with  a  gentle  slope  into  the  water. 

We  intended  to  remain  here  quietly  for  a  few  days,  taking 
things  easy,  rowing,  and  fishing,  and  hunting  enough  for  ex- 
ercise only.  There  is  plenty  of  deer,  and  trout,  and  duck, 
and  partridge  here,  to  be  taken  with  small  labor  ;  there  are 
bears,  and  wolves,  and  panthers,  in  the  woods  around.  But 
these  are  fewer  and  harder  to  be  come  at  than  the  other 
game  ^  there  is  an  occasional  moose  too.  We  saw  the 
tracks  of  all  these  animals  hereabouts,  and  we  hoped  to  get 
a  shot  at  some  or  all  of  them  before  leaving  the  woods. 

Eeader,  did  you  ever  hear  the  wolves  howl  in  the  old 
woods  of  a  still  night  I  No  ?  Then  you  have  not  heard  all 
the  music  of  the  forest.  Some  deep-mouuied  old  forester 
will  open  his  jaws,  and  send  forth  a  volume  of  sound  so 
deep,  so  loud,  so  changeful,  so  Adulating  and  variable  in 
its  character,  that,  as  it  rolls  along  the  forest,  and  comes 
back  in  quavering  echoes  from  the  mountains,  you  will 
almost  swear  that  his  single  voice  is  an  agglomerate  of  a 
thousand,  all  mixed,  and  mingled,  and  rolled  up  into  one. 
May  be,  away  in  the  distance,  possibly  on  the  other  side  of 
the  lake,  or  across  a  broad  valley,  another  will  open  his 
mouth  and  answer,  with  a  howl  as  deep,  and  wild,  and  vari- 
able, as  the  first ;  and  possibly  a  third  and  fourth,  one  on 
the  right,  and  another  on  the  left,  will  join  in  the  chorus, 


MARK   SHTJFF.  195 

until  the  whole  forest  seems  to  be  full  of  howling  and  noise  ; 
affd  yet  not  one  of  these  animals  may  be  within  a  mile  of 
you.  To  a  timid  man,  there  is  somthing  terrific  in  the  howl 
of  the  wolves  ;  but  in  truth,  they  are  harmless  as  the  deer, 
quite  as  wild  and  shy,  and  full  as  cowardly  in  the  presence 
of  a  man.  They  will  fly  as  frightened  from  his  approach, 
unless,  possibly,  in  the  intense  cold  and  desolation  of  winter, 
when  driven  together  and  rendered  desperate  by  hunger, 
they  might  be  emboldened  by  starvation  to  attack  a  man, 
but  even  this  is  among  the  apocryphal  legends  of  the 
wilderness. 

"  Hearing  them  wolves  howlin',"  said  Hank  Martin,  as  we 
sat  in  the  evening  around  our  camp  fire,  "  reminds  me  of  a 
story  MARK  SHUFF  tells  of  his  experience  with  the  critters  ; 
but  mind,  I  don't  pretend  to  swear  to  its  truth,  for  I  don't 
claim  to  know  anything  about  the  facts  myself.  I'll  tell  it  as 
Mark  told  it  to  me,  and  if  it  turns  out  to  be  too  tough  a  yarn 
to  take  down  whole,  don't  lay  it  to  me.  You  know  MARK 
SHUFF,"  said  he,  appealing  to  me,  "  and  you  may  believe 
such  parts  of  it  as  you  may  be  able  to  swallow,  and  the  rest 
,jnay  be  divided  up,  as  the  Doctor  said  the  other  day,  among 
the  company." 

"  Go  ahead,"  said  the  Doctor,  "  I'll  take  a  quarter  as  my 
share  of  the  story,  and  you  may  cut  it  off  of  either  end,  or 
carve  it  out  of  the  middle.  I'll  take  a  quarter,  tough  or 
tender." 

"  You  may  set  down  a  quarter  to  my  account,"  said 
Smith,  "  and  Spalding  shall  take  another." 


196  MARK   8HUFF. 

• 

"  Very  well,  then,"  said  Martin,  "  I'll  believe  a  quarter  of 
it  myself,  and  so  the  case  is  made  up,  as  the  judge  wotM 
say." 

"  Well,"  repeated  Martin,  "  you  know  MARK  SHTJFF  ?" 
"  Of  course  I  know  MARK  SHTJFF  ;  and  who,  that  has  visited 
these  lakes  and  woods  don't  know  him  ?  He  is  a  stalwart 
man,  six  feet  in  his  stockings,  strong,  healthy,  and  enduring 
as  iron.  I  have  had  him  as  a  boatman  and  guide  about 
Tupper's  Lake,  and  the  regions  beyond  it,  more  than  once. 
He  works  at  lumbering  in  the  winter,  and  if  there  is  one 
among  the  hundreds,  I  had  almost  said  thousands,  who  make 
war,  in  the  snowy  season  of  the  year,  upon  the  old  pines  of 
the  Rackett  woods,  who  can  swing  an  axe  more  effectually 
than  MARK  SHTTFF,  his  light  is  under  a  bushel — his  fame 
obscured.  MARK  works  hard  for  four  or  five  months,  and 
lays  around  loose  the  balance  of  the  year.  In  the  summer, 
he  holds  a  coat  as  a  thing  of  ornament  rather  than  use,  and 
boots  or  shoes  as  luxuries,  not  to  be  reckoned  as  among  the 
necessaries  of  life.  His  hat,  as  a  general  thing,  is  of  straw, 
and  minus  a  little  more  than  half  the  brim.  He  would  be 
out  of  place,  and  out  of  uniform,  as  well  as  out  of  temper 
with  himself,  if  he  was  for  any  considerable  length  of  time 
without  the  stub  of  a  marvelously  black  pipe  in  his  mouth, 
filled  with  plug  tobacco,  shaved  and  rubbed  in  his  hand  into 
a  proper  condition  for  smoking.  MARK,  though  by  no  means 
an  intemperate  man,  is  fond  of  a  drop  now  and  then,  and 
when  he  has  just  a  thimbleful  too  much,  the  way  he  will 
swear  is  emphatically  a  sin.  And  yet  he  is  anything  but 


MARK  SHUFF'S  ADVENTUEE.  19Y 

quarrelsome  or  contrary,  even  when  a  shade  over  the  line  of 
strict  sobriety.  He  is  a  great,  strong,  square-shouldered, 
big-breasted,  good-natured  specimen  of  the  genus  homo,  a 
giant  in  physical  strength,  and  were  I  a  wolf,  I  would  prefer 
letting  him  alone  to  any  man  in  these  parts.  When  he  gets 
just  the  least  "grain  "shiny"  (and  he  never  gets  beyond 
that),  and  his  oar  goes  a  little  wrong,  or  a  twig  brushes 
him  ungently,  or  his  seat  gets  a  little  hard,  he  will  express 
his  sense  of  its  improper  deportment  by  incontinently  damn- 
ing its  eyes,  and  so  forth,  as  if  it  were  a  sentient  thing,  and 
undestood  all  his  profane  denunciations  ;  but  with  all  this, 
MARK  never  forgets  to  be  respectful,  and,  in  his  way,  cour- 
teous to  his  employers.  He  has,  moreover,  a  sharp,  clear 
eye  in  his  head,  and  can  see  a  deer,  or  any  other  game,  as 
quick,  and  shoot  it  as  far  as  the  best,  and  has  as  good  a 
knowledge  of  where  they  are  to  be  found,  as  any  man  in 
these  woods." 

"  Well,"  continued  Martin,  as  he  lighted  his  pipe  by  dip- 
ping it  into  the  embers  and  scooping  up  a  small  coal;  "  Well, 
MARK  SHUFF  and  a  friend  of  his  by  the  name  of  Westcott, 
had  a  shanty  one  winter  over  on  Tupper's  Lake  ;  they  were 
trappin'  martin,  and  mink,  and  muskrat,  and  wolves,  when 
they  could  get  one.  They  shantied  on  the  outlet,  just  at 
the  foot  of  the  lake,  below  the  high  rocky  bluff  round  which 
the  little  bay,  there  sweeps.  There  wasn't  any  house  then 
nearer  than  Harriets  Town,  down  by  the  Lower  Saranac  ;  but 
there  was  a  company  of  lumbermen  having  a  shanty  up 
towards  the  head  of  the  lake,  near  where  the  Bog  River 


198  WOLFISH  CURIOSITY. 

enters.  MARK,  one  cold  winter's  morning,  started  on  an 
errand  to  the  lumber  shanty  I  speak  of,  calculatin'  to  return 
the  same  evening.  The  lake  was  frozen  over,  and  he  took 
to  the  ice,  as  being  the  nearest  and  best  travelin'.  The  win- 
ter had  set  in  airly,  and  the  snow  had  lain  deep  for  months, 
and  the  game  of  the  woods  had  got  pretty  well  starved  out. 
Mark  did'nt  take  his  rifle  with  him,  thmkin'  of  course  that 
he  would  see  no  game  on  the  ice  worth  shootin',  and  a  gun 
would  only  be  an  incumbrance  to  him.  Well,  he  did  his 
errand  at  the  shanties,  and  started  for  home.  I  don't  know 
whether  he  took  a  drop  or  not,  but  they  generally  keep  a 
barrel  of  old  rye  in  the  lumber  shanties,  and  my  opinion  is 
that  MARK  was  invited  to  take  a  horn,  in  which  case,  I'm 
bold  to  say,  the  horn  was  taken. 

"  However  that  may  be,  Mark  started  for  home  along  in 
the  afternoon,  and  took  to  the  ice,  as  he  did  when  he  went 
up  in  the  morning.  Everything  went  right  until  he  got 
within  may  be  a  mile  of  home,  when  he  heard,  from  a  point 
of  land,  a  little  to  the  left  of  him,  a  sharp,  fierce  bark,  and 
turning  that  way,  he  saw  a  great  shaggy,  fierce-looking  wolf 
trot  out  from  behind  a  boulder  and  squat  himself  down  on 
his  haunches,  and  eye  him  as  if  calculating  the  probabilities 
of  his  making  a  good  supper.  While  MARK  was  looking  at 
him,  feelin'  a  little  oneasy,  he  heard  another  sharp  bark,  and 
from  a  point  just  ahead  of  him  another  great  wolf  trotted 
out  on  to  the  ice,  and  sat  himself  down,  eyeing  him  with  sus- 
picious intensity.  In  a  moment,  another  came  out  right  op- 
posite to  him,  and  then  another,  and  another,  until  MARK 


FRIGHTENING   THE   WOLVES.  199 

swears  to  this  day  that  there  were  more  than  a  dozen  of 
these  fierce  and  hungry  savages  squatted  on  their  haunches 
within  fifty  yards  of  him. 

"  MARK,  as  I  said,  had  no  rifle,  his  only  weapons  being  a 
hunting  knife  and  a  heavy  walking  stick,  which  he  carried  in 
his  hand.  To  say.  that  he  was  not  frightened,  would  be 
stating  what  I  don't  believe  to  be  true,  and  I've  heard  him 
tell  how  his  huntin'  cap  seemed  to  be  lifted  right  up  on  his 
head,  as  if  every  hair  pointed  straight  towards  the  sky. 
He  looked  at  the  wolves  a  moment,  and  then  walked  on  ; 
but  the  animals  trotted  along  with  him,  still,  however, 
keepin'  at  a  respectful  distance.  Those  in  advance  seemed 
inclined  to  cross  his  path,  as  if  to  iurn  him  towards  the  cen- 
tre of  the  lake,  while  those  behind  went  further  and  further 
from  the  shore,  as  if  to  surround  him  ;  and  thus  they  travelled 
for  near  half  a  mile,  MARK  making  for  the  open  water, 
which  in  the  coldest  weather  is  always  to  be  found  near  the 
outlet  of  the  lake,  determined,  if  they  came  to  close  quarters, 
to  take  to  that  and  swim  for  it.  He  had  heard  and  knew 
that  almost  every  animal  is  afraid  of  the  voice  of  a  man  ;  so 
he  shouted  at  the  top  of  his  voice,  and  as  he  said,  ripped  out 
some  select  and  choice  oaths,  which  for  a  moment  alarmed  the 
wolves,  and  they  fell  back  a  few  rods,  still,  however,  keepin' 
in  a  kind  of  half  circle  around  him.  But  it  was'nt  long  be- 
fore they  began  to  gather  in  on  him  again,  and  though  his 
shoutin'  and  swearin'  kept  them  at  a  good  distance,  yet  they 
seemed  to  be  gettin'  used  to  it,  and  it  didn't  alarm  them  as 
it  did  at  first.  MARK  had  now  got  within  reach  of  the 


200          ,  WELCOME   STJCCOB. 

water,  and  he  felt  comparatively  safe.  He  was  not  more 
than  a  quarter  of  a  mile  from  home,  and  cold  as  it  was,  he 
felt  sure  that  he  could  swim  that  distance. 

"  Before  being  compelled  to  take  to  the  water,  it  occurred 
to  him  to  halloo  for  Westcott,  which  he  did  with  all  his 
might.  The  wolves  did'nt  appear  to  care  much  about  his 
hallooing,  but  kept  trottin'  along  between  him  and  the  shore, 
and  before  and  behind  him,  drawin'  the  circle  closer  and 
closer  every  ten  rods  ;  and  Mark  expected  every  moment 
when  they'd  make  a  rush  on  him,  in  which  case  he'd  made 
up  his  mind  to  make  a  dive  into  the  water,  along  which  he 
was  now  travelin'.  Presently  he  saw  Westcott,  with  his 
double-barrelled  rifle,  ste^lin'  along  the  shore,  hid  from  the 
kritters  by  a  high  rocky  point,  within  some  twenty  rods  of 
him.  He  felt  all  right  then,  for  he  knew  that  when  West- 
cott pinted  that  rifle  at  anything,  something  had  to  come. 
It  was  a  dangerous  piece,  that  rifle  was,  'specially  when 
loaded  and  Westcott  was  at  one  end  of  it. 

"  MARK  was  not  more  than  fifteen  rods  from  the  shore, 
but  that  ground  was  occupied  by  the  wolves  ;  on  the  right 
was  the  water,  into  which  he  might  at  any  moment  be  com- 
pelled to  plunge  ;  while  both  before  and  behind  him  his  ad- 
vance and  retreat  was  alike  cut  off.  He  had  noticed  that 
whenever  he  stopped,  the  wolves  stopped,  as  if  the  time  for 
the  rush  had  not  yet  come,  and  it  puzzled  him  to  understand 
why  they  delayed  the  onset.  Seeing  Westcott  with  his  rule, 
MARK  determined  to  treat  his  assailants  to  a  choice  lot  of 
profane  epithets,  and  the  way  he  opened  on  the  cowardly 


A   REINFORCEMENT.  201 

rascals,  he  said,  astonished  even  himself.  But  while  he  was 
thus  swearing  at  his  enemies,  he  discovered,  as  he  thought, 
the  reason  why  they  had  not  attacked  him  sooner.  A  troop 
of  a  dozen  or  more  wolves  broke  cover  some  distance  up  the 
lake,  and  came  runnin'  down  towards  where  he  stood,  for 
whose  presence,  no  doubt,  those  around  him  were  waiting. 
Just  then  he  saw  WESTCOTT'S  huntin'  cap  above  the  rocks  on 
the  point,  and  saw  his  double-barrel  poked  out  in  the  direc- 
tion of  the  leader  of  the  pack,  and  he  knew  that  that  old  grey- 
back's  time  had  come.  MARK  let  off  a  fresh  volley  of  profanity, 
and  as  the  wolves  seemed  preparing  for  a  rush,  WESTCOTT'S 
rifle  broke  the  frozen  stillness  of  the  woods,  and  old  grey- 
back  turned  a  summerset  and  went  down.  The  astonished 
wolves  clustered  together  for  a  nfoment  in  confusion,  and  the 
other  barrel  spoke  out.  Another  of  the  pack  bounded  into 
the  air,  and  as  he  came  down  kicked  and  thrashed  about  in 
a  most  oncommon  way,  and  then  laid  still — while  the  way 
the  rest  put  out  for  the  point,  some  distance  up  the  lake, 
was  a  thing  to  be  astonished  at.  MARK  threw  up  his  hat, 
and  hollered,  and  shouted,  and  swore,  till  the  last  wolf  dis- 
appeared into  the  forest,  and  then  shoulderin'  one  of  the 
dead  kritters,  and  WESTCOTT  the  other,  started  on  home. 
The  hides,  and  the  bounty  on  the  scalps,  made  a  good  day's 
work  of  it ;  but  MARK  swears  to  this  day,  that  if  the  last 
dozen  of  wolves  had  been  a  little  earlier,  or  Westcott  a  little 
later,  he'd  a-been  driven  like  a  buck  to  the  water,  cold  as  it 
was  ;  and  if  they'd  been  a  little  earlier  still,  he'd  have  been 
a  goner.  He  never  goes  far  from  home  since,  without  a 

9* 


202  MARK'S  CONCLUSION. 

/ 

rifle  ;  and  though  with  that  he  has  no  fear  of  wolves,  yet  he 
concludes  that  a  hunting-knife  and  a  stick  are  no  match  for 
a  whole  pack  of  the  kritters,  when  made  savage  by  the  star- 
vation of  winter." 

While  we  were  listening  to  the  story  of  MAKK  SHUFF  and 
the  wolves,  the  old  fellow  over  the  water  made  the  forest 
ring  again  with  his  howling.  He  was  answered  from  miles 
away  down  the  lake  by  another.  Their  voices  kept  the  forest 
echoes  busy,  until  we  laid  ourselves  away  in  our  blankets, 
where  we  slept  till  wakened  by  the  glad  voices  of  the  birds 
in  the  early  morning. 


CHAPTER    XVIII. 

AN  EXPLORING  VOYAGE  IN  AN  ALDER  SWAMP — A  BEAVER  DAM — A 

FAIR  SHOT  AND  A  MISS DROWNING  A  BEAR — AN  UNPLEASANT 

PASSENGER. 

WE  started  the  next  morning  on  an  exploring  voyage 
round  the  lake,  to  look  into  the  bays  and  inlets,  try  the  fish 
and  deer,  and  see  what  we  could  see  generally.  We  struck 
across  to  an  island  opposite  our  landing-place,  containing 
five  or  six  acres,  covered  with  a  dense  growth  of  spruce, 
hemlock,  and  fir,  with  an  occasional  pine  standing  with  its 
tall  head  proudly  above  the  other  forest  trees,  while  along 
the  ground  the  low  whortleberry  bushes,  loaded  with  fruit, 
now  just  ripening,  grew.  This  island  is  near  the  south 
shore,  and  separated  from  it  by  a  narrow  channel  some 
twenty  rods  in  width.  We  landed,  and  were  regaling  our- 
selves upon  the  berries,  leaving  our  boats  and  guns  on  the 
lake  side  of  the  island.  We  had  wandered  near  the  centre 
of  the  island,  when  three  deer  started  up  within  two  rods  of 
us,  and  rushed  whistling  and  snorting  in  huge  astonishment 

308 


204  THE  PASSAGE  STOPPED. 

across  the  island  in  the  direction  of  the  mainland,  and  dash- 
ing wildly  into  the  water,  swam  to  the  shore  and  disappeared 
into  the  forest.  We,  in  truth,  were  little  less  astonished 
than  they,  for  we  certainly  expected  no  such  game  to  be 
hiding  there,  and  when  they  leaped  up  so  suddenly  and 
plunged  away,  crashing  and  snorting  through  the  brush,  it 
startled  us  somewhat  ;  but  our  boats  and  guns  were  on  the 
other  side  of  the  island,  and  we  could  only  look  on  as 
they  swam  .boldly  to  the  shore  without  the  power  to  harm 
them. 

At  the  east  end  of  the  lake  a  large  stream,  deep,  sluggish, 
and  tortuous  enters,  which  we  voted  came  from  a  lake  or 
pond,  back  at  the  base  of  the  hills,  seen  some  three  or  four 
miles  distant  in  that  direction,  and  while  the  other  boats 
passed  in  another  direction,  Spalding  and  myself  started  up- 
stream to  explore  it.  As  we  advanced,  the  alders  and  wil- 
lows encroached  more  and  more  upon  the  channel,  until  it 
became  too  narrow  for  rowing.  Our  boatman  took  his  pad- 
dle, and  seated  in  the  stern  of  our  little  craft,  propelled  it 
up  stream  for  an  hour  or  more.  The  alders  gradually  con- 
tracted, the  channel  becoming  narrower  until  we  were  pass- 
ing under  a  low  archway  of  branches,  covered  with  dense 
foliage,  through  which  the  sunlight  could  not  penetrate. 
The  arch  grew  lower  and  lower,  and  the  channel  narrower, 
until  we  at  last  absolutely  stuck  fast  among  the  branches  of 
the  alders  which,  here  grew  almost  horizontally  over  the 
stream.  We  could  not  turn  round,  and  to  go  further  wa? 
absolutely  impossible  ;  there  was  but  one  mode  of  extrica 


A  BEAVER   DAM.  205 

tion,  and  that  was  to  back  straight  out  the  way  we  had  en- 
tered. Our  boatmaii  changed  his  position  to  the  bow  of  the 
boat,  and  after  much  labor  and  exertion,  we  started  down 
stream.  After  two  hours  of  hard  work,  pushing  with  the 
oars  and  pulling  by  the  branches,  we  emerged  into  daylight, 
came  out  into  the  open  stream,  not  a  little  fatigued  by  our 
efforts  to  find  the  imaginary  pond  at  the  base  of  the  moun- 
tains. 

This  stream,  with  the  broad  alder  marsh  that  stretches 
away  on  either  side,  was  doubtless  once  a  beaver  dam  ;  and 
we  thought  we  could  discover  where  these  singular  and  saga- 
cious animals  had  erected  the  structure  that  made  for  them 
an  artificial  lake.  Our  theory  on  this  subject  may  have  been 
true  or  false,  but  this  much  is  a  fact,  that  in  all  this  region 
of  lakes  and  rivers,  I  have  seen  no  alder  or  other  marsh  of 
any  considerable  extent,  save  this.  In  the  times  of  old, 
when  the  Indian  and  his  brother  the  beaver,  lived  quietly 
together,  before  the  greed  of  the  white  man  had  built  up  a 
war  of  extermination  between  them,  this  must  have  been  a 
glorious  country  for  the  beaver.  The  lakes  are  so  numerous 
and  the  ponds  and  rivers  so  fitted  for  them,  that  they  must 
have  had  a  good  time  of  it  here  for  centuries.  The  Indians 
never  disturbed  them,  never  made  war  upon  them  ;  their 
flesh  was  not  needed  or  fitted  for  food,  and  the  value  of 
their  fur  was  unknown.  Tradition,  speaking  from  the  dim 
and  shadowy  past,  tells  us  of  the  vast  numbers  of  these 
sagacious  and  harmless  animals  which  congregated  in -these 


206  MARCH   OF   CIVILIZATION. 

regions,  living  in  undisturbed  quiet  and  happiness  all  the 
year,  building  their  dams,  their  canals,  and  cities  on  all  the 
ponds,  rivers,  and  lakes  hereabouts.  But  they  are  all  gone 
now.  I  inquired  if  any  had  been  seen  of  late  years,  and 
could  hear  of  but  a  single  family,  which  some  ten  years  ago 
were  said  to  dwell  somewhere  in  the  vicinity  of  Mud  Lake, 
the  highest  and  wildest  of  all  these  mountain  lakes.  The 
last  of  these  was  taken  four  or  five  years  ago,  since  which 
no  sign  of  the  beaver  has  been  discovered.  They  are  doubt- 
less all  gone,  and  as  this  was  their  last  abiding-place,  they 
may  be  regarded  as  extinct  on  this  side  of  the  Alleghany 
ranges,  and  probably  on  this  side  of  the  eastern  slopes  of 
the  Rocky  Mountains.  Like  the  beaver,  the  Indian  who 
turned  against  him,  will  soon  be  gone  too.  Annihilation  is 
written  as  the  doom  of  both.  The  wild  man  must  pass 
away  with  the  woods  and  the  forests,  before  the  onward 
rush  of  civilization,  and  history  will  soon  be  all  that  will  re- 
main of  the  Indian  and  his  ancient  brother  the  beaver. 

Well,  be  it  so,  and  who  will  regret  it  ?  It  is  a  sad  thing 
to  see  a  whole  race  perish,  wiped  out  from  the  aggregate  of 
human  existence.  But  in  this  instance,  its  place  will  be 
filled  by  a  higher  and  nobler  race,  and  the  hunting-ground 
of  the  savage  and  the  pagan,  be  converted  into  cultivated 
fields  ;  where  stood  the  wigwam,  will  stand  the  farm-house; 
where  the  council-fires  blazed,  will  stand  the  halls  of  enlight- 
ened and  Christian  legislation  ;  churches  and  school-houses, 
and  all  the  accompaniments  of  Christianity  and  civilization 


A  FAIR   SHOT  AND  A   MISS.  207 

will  take  the  place  of  ancient  forests  ;  and  educated,  intel- 
lectual, cultivated  miuds  take  the  place  of  the  rude,  un- 
taught, and  unteachable  men  and  women  of  the  woods. 

As  we  re-entered  the  lake,  we  saw  a  noble  buck  feeding 
along  the  shore,  a  short  distance  from  us.  We  dropped  be- 
hind a  point  of  willows,  from  the  outer  edge  of  which  we 
would  be  in  shooting  distance.  We  paddled  silently  round 
the  point,  and  there,  within  fifteen  rods  of  us,  he  stood,  broad 
side  to  us,  presenting  as  beautiful  a  mark  as  a  man  could 
wish.  I  counted  him  certainly  ours,  when  I  drew  upon  him 
with  my  rule.  Well  I  blazed  away,  and  as  I  did  so,  he 
raised  his  head  suddenly,  gazed  in  astonishment  at  us  for  a 
moment,  with  his  ears  thrown  forward,  and  in  an  attitude 
of  wildness,  and  then  dashed  madly  away  into  the  forest, 
snorting  like  a  war-horse  at  every  bound.  I  had  not  touched 
him,  and  I  knew  it  the  moment  I  fired.  Our  little  boat  was 
light  and  totlish,  and  just  as  I  pressed  the  trigger,  it  rolled 
slightly  on  the  water  and  my  ball  passed  over,  but  mighty 
close  to  the  back  of  that  deer.  I  was  mortified  enough  at 
this  mishap,  for  I  prided  myself  on  my  coolness  and  marks- 
manship, and  here  was  a  failure  apparently  more  inexcus- 
able than  any  that  had  occurred.  But  there  was  no  help 
for  it.  The  deer  was  gone,  and  Spalding  and  the  boatman 
indulged  in  a  hearty  laugh  at  my  expense. 

Some  half  a  mile  up  the  lake,  we  saw  a  great  turtle 
sunning  himself  on  a  rock  which  was  partly  out  of  water. 
He  was  twice  as  large  as  any  of  the  fresh-water  kind  I  had 
ever  seen.  His  shell  was  all  of  two  feet  in  diameter,  and 


208  AN   INVITATION   TO   DINE. 

his  scaly  arms,  as  they  hung  loosely  over  the  side  of  the 
rock,  were  as  large  as  the  wrists  of  a  man.  He  was  some 
six  or  eight  rods  from  us,  and  Spalding  gave  him  a  shot 
with  his  rifle.  The  ball  glanced  harmlessly  from  his  massive 
shell  against  the  ledge  behind  him,  and  starting  from  his 
sleep,  he  clambered  lazily  and  clumsily  into  the  water. 

We  threw  out  a  trolling  line  as  we  passed  up  the  lake  ; 
but  we  caught  no  trout.  Along  the  shore,  however,  we 
caught  small  ones  in  plenty  with  the  fly.  These  shore  trout, 
as  I  call  them,  seem  to  be  a  distinct  species,  differing  hi 
many  respects  from  the  other  trout  of  the  lakes  or  streams. 
They  are  uniform  in  size,  rarely  exceeding  a  quarter  of  a 
pound  in  weight.  They  are  of  a  whitish  color,  longer 
in  proportion  than  the  lake,  river,  or  brook  trout,  have 
fewer  specks  upon  them,  and  those  not  of  a  golden  hue, 
but  rather  like  freckles.  They  are  found  among  the  broken 
rocks  where  the  shores  are  bold  and  bluff,  or  near  the 
mouths  of  the  cold  brooks  that  come  down  from  the  hills. 
I  caught  them  at  every  trial,  and  whenever  we  wanted  them 
for  food.  Their  flesh  is  white  and  excellent — better,  to  my 
taste,  than  that  of  any  other  fish  of  these  waters. 

We  rejoined  our  companions  in  a  little  bay  that  lay 
quietly  around  a  rocky  promontory,  where  we  found  them 
enjoying  a  dinner  of  venison  and  trout,  under  the  shade 
of  some  huge  firtrees,  by  the  side  of  a  beautiful  spring 
that  came  bubbh'ng  up,  hi  its  icy  coldness,  from  beneath 
the  tangled  roots  of  a  stinted  and  gnarled  birch.  Happily, 
there  was  enough  for  us  all,  and  we  accepted  at  once  the 


A   WOLF   CONGEST.  209 

invitation  extended  to  us  to  dine.  Towards  evening,  we 
rowed  back  to  our  shanty.  The  breeze  had  entirely  ceased, 
and  the  lake  lay  still  and  smooth  ;  not  a  wave  agitated 
its  surface,  not  a  ripple  passed  across  its  stirless  bosom  ; 
the  woods  along  the  shore,  and  the  mountains  in  the  back 
ground,  the  glowing  sunlight  upon  the  hill-tops  were  mir- 
rored back  from  its  quiet  depths  as  if  there  were  other 
forests,  and  other  mountains  and  hills  glowing  in  the  even- 
ing sunshine  away  down  below,  twins  to  those  above  and 
around  us.  We  saw  on  our  return  along  the  beach,  the 
track  of  a  bear  in  the  sand,  that  had  been  made  during 
the  day,  and  we  had  some  talk  of  trying  the  scent  of 
our  dogs  upon  it.  But  it  was  too  near  night,  to  allow 
of  a  hope  of  securing  him,  even  if  the  dogs  could  follow, 
and  we  gave  up  the  idea,  promising  to  attend  to  bruin's 
case  another  day. 

As  we  sat  with  our  meerschaums,  in  the  evening,  specu- 
lating upon  the  chances  of  securing  a  bear,  or  a  moose, 
before  leaving  the  woods,  a  wolf  lifted  up  his  voice  on  the 
hill  opposite  us,  arifl  made  the  old  forest  ring  again  with 
his  howling.  He  was  answered  as  in  the  night  previous, 
from  away  down  the  lake,  and  by  another  from  the  hill 
back  of  us,  and  another  still  from  the  narrow  gorge  above 
the  head  of  the  lake.  However  discordant  the  music  ap- 
peared to  us,  they  seemed  to  enjoy  it,  for  they  kept  it 
up  at  intervals  during  all  the  early  part  of  the  night. 

"  Seeing  that  bear's  track,  and  hearing  the  howl  of  those 
wolves,"  said  the  Doctor,  "  reminds  me  of  a  story  I  heard 


210  A  REMINISCENCE. 

told  by  an  old  Ohio  pilot,  whom  I  found  in  drifting  down 
that  noble  river  in  a  pirogue,  some  five  and  twenty  years 
ago.  We  tied  up  one  night  by  the  side  of  another  similar 
craft,  that  had  gone  down  ahead  of  us,  the  people  on  board 
of  which  had  landed  and  built  a  camp-fire,  and  erected  their 
tent.  They  were  strangers  to  us,  but  in  those  days  every- 
body you  met  in  the  wilderness  which  skirted  the  Upper 
Ohio  was  your  friend,  if  you  chose  to  regard  him  so.  I 
was  a  mere  boy  then,  and  was  in  company  with  my  father 
and  three  other  gentlemen,  who  owned  a  township  of  laud 
not  far  from  Cincinnati ;  that  is  not  far  now,  considering 
the  difference  in  the  mode  of  travelling  between  then  and 
now,  and  we  were  on  our  way  to  explore  that  township. 
I  did  not  regard  it  as  of  much  value  then,  though  it  has 
since  brought  a  heap  of  money  to  its  owners.  We  found 
the  company  belonging  to  the  other  boat  busily  employed 
in  cooking  a  supper  of  venison  and  bear-meat,  they  having 
in  the  course  of  the  day  killed  two  deer  and  a  bear  that 
they  found  swimming  the  river.  We  were  invited  to  help 
ourselves  ;  an  invitation  which,  being  cordially  given,  we 
as  cordially  accepted.  We  had  been  passing  during  most 
of  the  day  through  unbroken  forests,  standing  up  in  stately 
majesty  on  both  sides  of  the  river,  and  stretching  back 
the  Lord  knows  how  far.  After  the  darkness  gathered, 
the  wolves  made  the  wilderness  vocal  with  their  howling. 
It  was  the  first  time  I  had  ever  heard  them,  and  for  that 
matter  the  last,  until  since  we  have  been  in  these  woods  : 
but  when  that  old  fellow  over  the  lake  lifted  up  his  voice 


THE  OHIO  PILOT'S  STORY.  211 

last  night,  I  recognized  it  at  once.  I  can't  say  I  admired 
it  as  a  musical  performance  then,  and  I  don't  appreciate 
its  harmony  now.  If  there  are  those  who  like  it,  why, 
de  gustibus  non,  and  so  forth. 

"  But  I  set  out  to  tell  the  story  that  the  old  Ohio  pilot 
told  that  night,  while  the  travellers  sat  smoking  around 
their  camp-fires,  and  the  wolves  were  howling  hi  the  wilder- 
ness about  us.  I  do  not,  of  course,  vouch  for  its  truth  ; 
I  simply  tell  it  as  he  told  it  to  us.  He  seemed  to  believe 
it  himself,  for  he  told  it  with  a  gravity  of  face,  and  a 
seriousness  of  manner,  which  would  ill  comport  with  its 
falsity.  •  His  hearers  did  not  seem  to  regard  it  as  passing 
belief,  but  they  laughed  at  the  idea  of  drowning  a  bear. 

"'Twenty  odd  years  ago,'  said  the  old  pilot,  as  he  lighted 
his  pipe  and  seated  himself  on  the  head  of  a  whisky-keg, 
'  there  warn't  a  great  many  people  along  the  Ohio,  except 
Ingins  and  bears,  and  we  didn't  like  to  cultivate  a  very 
close  acquaintance  with  either  of  them,  for  the  Ingins 
were  cheatin',  deceivin',  and  scalpin'  critters,  and  the  bears 
had  an  onpleasant  way  with  'em,  that  people  of  delicate 
narves  didn't  h'ke.  I  came  out  for  some  people  over  on 
the  east  side  of  the  mountains,  lookin'  land,  in  company 
with  four  men  who  had  hunted  over  the  country.  Ohio 
warn't  any  great  shakes  then,  but  let  me  tell  you,  stranger, 
it  had  a  mighty  big  pile  of  the  tallest  kind  of  land  layin' 
around  waitin'  to  be  opened  up  to  the  sunlight.  It's  goin' 
ahead  now,  and  people  are  rushin'  matters  in  the  way  of 
settlin'  of  it,  but  you  could  stick  down  a  stake  most  any- 


212  CHASING   A   BEAK. 

where  in  it  then,  and  travel  in  any  direction  a  hundred  miles 
from  it,  and  not  get  sight  of  a  white  man,  and  without 
climbin'  a  fence. 

"'Wai,  we  came  down  the  Alleghany  in  two  canoes, 
and  shantied  on  the  Ohio,  just  below  where  the  Alleghauy 
empties  itself  into  it.  We  hid  our  canoes,  and  struck 
across  the  country,  and  travelled  about  explorin'  for  six 
weeks,  and  when  we  got  back  to  our  shantyin'  ground, 
we  were  tuckered  out  you  may  believe.  We  rested  here 
a  couple  of  days,  layin'  around  loose,  and  takin'  our  comfort 
in  a  way  of  our  own.  Early  one  morning,  when  my  com- 
panions were  asleep,  I  got  up  and  paddled  across  the  river 
after  a  deer,  for  we  wanted  venison  for  breakfast.  I  got  a 
buck,  and  was  returnin',  when  what  should  I  see  but  a  bear 
swimmin'  the  Ohio,  and  I  put  out  in  chase  right  off.  I  soon 
overhauled  the  critter,  and  picked  up  my  rifle  to  give  him 
a  settler,  when  I  found  that  in  paddlin'  I  had  spattered 
water  into  the  canoe,  wettin'  the  primin'  and  makin'  the 
gun  of  no  more  use  than  a  stick.  1  didn't  understand 
mufti  about  the  natur  of  the  beast  then,  and  thought  I'd 
run  him  down,  and  drown  him,  or  knock  him  on  the  head. 
So  I  put  the  canoe  right  e'end  on  towards  him,  thinkin' 
to  run  him  under,  but  when  the  bow  touched  him,  what 
did  he  do,  but  reach  his  great  paws  up  over  the  side  of  the 
canoe,  and  begin  to  climb  in.  I  hadn't  bargained  for  that; 
I  felt  mighty  onpleasant,  you  may  swear,  at  the  prospect 
of  havin'  sich  a  passenger.  I  hadn't  time  to  get  at  him 
with  the  rifle,  till  he  came  tumblin'  into  the  dugout,  and 


BBTJIN   TAKES   PASSAGE.  213 

* 

as  he  seated  himself  on  his  stern,  showed  as  pretty  a  set 
of  ivory  as  a  body  would  wish  to  see.  There  we  sat,  he 
in  one  e'end  of  the  dugout  and  I  in  the  other,  eyein'  one 
another  in  a  mighty  suspicious  sort  of  way.  He  didn't 
seem  inclined  to  come  near  my  e'end  of  the  dugout,  and 
I  was  principled  agin  goin'  towards  his.  I  made  ready 
to  take  to  the  water  on  short  notice,  but  at  the  same 
time  concluded  I'd  paddle  him  to  the  shore,  if  he'd  allow 
me  to  do  it  quietly. 

"  '  Wai,  I  paddled  away,  the  bear  every  now  and  then 
grinnin'  at  me,  skinnin'  his  face  till  every  tooth  in  his  head 
stood  right  out,  and  grumblin'  to  himself  in  a  way  that 
seemed  to  say,  '  I  wonder  if  that  chap's  good  to  eat  ?'  I 
didn't  offer  any  opinion  on  the  subject ;  I  didn't  say  a  word 
to  him,  treatin'  him  all  the  time  like  a  gentleman,  but 
kept  pullin'  for  the  shore.  When  the  canoe  touched  the 
ground,  he  clambered  over  the  side,  and  climbed  up  the 
bank,  and  givin'  me  an  extra  grin,  started  off  into  the  woods. 
I  pushed  the  dugout  back  suddenly,  and  gave  him,  as 
I  felt  safe  again,  a  double  war-whoop  that  seemed  to  as- 
tonish him,  for  he  quickened  his  pace  mightily,  as  if  quite 
as  glad  to  part  company  as  I  was.  I  larned  one  thing, 
stranger,  that  mornin',  and  it's  this,  never  to  try  drownin' 
a  bear  by  runnin'  him  under  with  a  dugout.  It  won't 
pay.' "  ^+& 


CHAPTER  XIX. 

SPALDING'S   BEAR   STORY — CLIMBING  TO  AVOID  A  COLLISION — - 
AN  UNEXPECTED  MEETING A  RACE. 

"THAT  story,"  said  Spalding,  "reminds  me  of  a  bear 
story.  I  shall  do  as  the  Doctor  did,  tell  it  as  it  was  told 
to  me.  I  did  not  see  the  bear,  but  I  know  the  man  who 
was  the  hero  of  it,  and  his  brother  told  the  story  in  his  pre- 
sence one  day,  and  he  made  no  denial.  He  at  least  is  estop- 
ped from  disputing  it,  and  we  lawyers  call  that  prima  facie 
evidence  of  its  truth.  It  occurred  a  long  tune  ago,  when 
there  were  fewer  green  fields  in  Oswego  county  and  especi- 
ally in  the  town  of  Mexico,  than  there  are  now.  The  old 
woods  stood  there  in  all  their  primeval  grandeur.  The 
waves  of  Ontario  laved  a  wilderness  shore,  and  their  dull 
sound,  as  they  came  rolling  in  upon  the  rocky  beach,  died 
away  in  the  solitudes  of  a  gloomy  and  almost  boundless 
forest.  Here  and  there  a  '  clearing '  let  in  the  sunlight, 
and  the  woodman's  axe  broke  the  forest  stillness  as  he  bat- 
tled against  the  brave  old  trees.  The  smoke  of  burnimr  fa<- 

814 


THE   PIONEERS.  215 

• 

lows  was  occasionally  seen,  wreathing  in  dense  columns 
towards  the  sky.  Civilization,  enterprise,  energy  and  new 
life  were  just  starting  on  that  career  of  progress  which  has 
moved  onward  till  the  wilderness,  under  the  influence  of 
their  mighty  power,  has  been  made  to  blossom  as  the  rose. 
Those  were  pleasant  times,  as  we  look  upon  them  now,  just 
fading  into  the  dim  and  shadowy  past,  but  they  were  times 
of  toil  and  privation.  The  arms  of  the  men  of  those  times 
were  nerved  by  the  hope  of  the  future,  and  the  spirit 
that  sustained  them  was  that  of  faith  in  the  fact  that  the 
promise  of  reward  for  their  labor  was  sure. 

"  Do  the  men  of  the  present  day  ever  think  what  a  gigan- 
tic labor  that  was  of  clearing  away  those  old  forests  ?  Con- 
template a  wilderness,  reaching  from  the  Atlantic  to  the  Mis- 
sissippi, from  the  great  lakes  and  the  majestic  St.  Lawrence 
to  the  Gulf  of  Mexico,  every  acre  of  which  was  covered  with 
tall  trees  which  had  to  be  cut  away  one  by  one,  not  with 
some  great  machine  which  mowed  them  down  in  broad 
swaths  like  the  grass  of  a  meadow,  but  by  a  single  arm  and 
a  single  axe.  Talk  about  the  Pyramids,  the  Chinese  Wall, 
the  great  canals  of  the  earth  I  They  sink  into  utter  insigni- 
ficance when  compared  with  the  prodigious  labor  of  clearing 
away  the  American  forests,  and  spreading  out  green  fields 
where  our  fathers  found  only  a  limitless  wilderness  of  woods. 
The  sons  of  these  men  who  performed  that  labor,  in  my 
judgment,  have  a  better  patent  to  preferment  and  honors 
than  those  who  come  from  other  lands  to  claim  their  inheri- 
tance after  it  has  been  thus  perfected  by  such  toil  and 


216  TBUE   COURAGE. 

hardships,  and  dangers  as  the  history  of  the  world  cannot 
parallel." 

"  I  think,  if  I  remember  rightly,"  said  the  Dr.,  "you  set 
out  to  tell  a  bear  story.  You  are  now  indulging  in  a  ser- 
mon on  progress.  Allow  me  to  call  your  attention  to  the 
bear." 

"  I  appeal  to  the  court,"  said  Spalding,  addressing  Smith 
and  myself,  "  against  this  interruption." 

"The  counsel  will  proceed,"  said  Smith,  with  all  the 
gravity  of  a  judge  ;  "  we  hope  the  interruption  will  not  be 
repeated." 

"Well,"  said  Spalding,  resuming  his  narrative,  "some 
fifty  years  ago,  two  enterprising  men  (brothers)  marched 
into  the  woods  in  the  town  of  Mexico,  now  in  Oswego 
county,  with  their  axes  on  their  shoulders,  and  stout  hearts 
beating  in  their  bosoms.  They  located  a  mile  or  more  apart, 
and  began  a  warfare,  such  as  civilization  wages,  against  the 
old  forest  trees.  Men  talk  about  courage  on  the  battle-field, 
the  facing  of  danger  amid  the  conflict  of  armed  hosts,  and 
the  crash  of  battle.  All  that  is  well,  but  what  is  such  cour- 
age, stimulated  by  excitement  and  braced  by  the  ignominy 
which  follows  the  laggard  in  such  a  strife,  to  that  calm, 
enduring,  moral  courage  of  him  who  encounters  the  toil  and 
hardships  incident  to  the  settlement  of  a  new  country,  and 
battles  with  the  dangers,  the  long  years  of  privation,  which 
lie  before  the  pioneer  who  goes  into  the  forest  to  carve  out 
a  home  for  himself  and  his  children  ?  How  much  more 
noble  is  such  courage,  how  infinitely  superior  is  such  a  war- 


TAKING   A   FBE8H    START.  217 

fare,  one  which  mows  down  forest  trees  instead  of  men, 
which  creates  green  pastures,  broad  meadows,  and  fields  of 
waving  grain,  instead  of  smouldering  cities,  and  desolated 
homes  !  How  mtffch  more  pleasant  is  the  sound  of  the  wood- 
man's axe,  than  that  of  the  booming  cannon  1  How  much 
more  cheerful  the  smoke  that  goes  up  from  the  burning  fal- 
low, than  that  which  hangs  in  darkness  over  the  desolation 
of  the  battle  field,  beneath  which  lie  the  dead  in  their  still- 
ness, and  the  wounded  in  their  agony  !  But  I  am  losing 
sight  of  the  bear." 

"  Exactly  so,"  said  the  Doctor  ;  "  and  we  have  not  as 
yet  had  the  pleasure  of  making  his  acquaintance.  Suppose 
you  give  us  an  introduction  to  the  gentleman." 

"  These  interruptions  are  entirely  out  of  o*rder,"  gravely 
remarked  Smith  ;  "  they  must  not  be  repeated.  The  coun- 
sel will  proceed." 

"Well,"  resumed  Spalding,  bowing  deferentially  to  the 
court,  "  one  of  these  settlers  started  one  day  across  the 
woods  to  visit  his  brother.  There  were  few  roads  in  those 
times,  and  these  were  laid  out  without  much  reference  to 
distance  ;  they  went  winding  and  crooking  every  way  to 
avoid  this  hill,  or  that  creek,  or  water  course,  or  any 
other  impediment  which  nature  may  have  thrown  in  the 
way,  and  a  blind  footpath,  or  a  line  of  marked  trees,  was 
more  commonly  travelled  from  one  forest  house  to  another. 
The  forester  was  tramping  cheerfully  along,  thinking  doubt- 
less of  the  good  time  coming,  when  his  farm  would  be  shory 
of  all  its  old  woods,  when  flocks  and  herds  would  be  graz- 

10 


218  CLIMBING   TO   AVOID   A   COLLISION. 

ing  in  luxurious  pastures,  tall  grain  waving  in  fields,  the 
summer  grass  clothing  in  richness  meadows  reclaimed  by 
his  labor  from  the  wilderness,  and  he  should  be  at  ease 
among  his  children.  First  settlers  of  a  new  country  think 
of  these  things,  and  it  is  because  they  think  of  them,  that 
their  hearts  are  strong  and  buoyant  with  hope.  They  live 
in  the  future,  enduring  the  darkness  and  privation  of  the 
present,  in  their  faith  in  the  brightness  of  the  years  to  come. 
Thus  they  wait  in  patience  for,  while  they  command  success, 
and  the  end  of  their  toil  is  an  old  age  of  competence,  and  in 
the  closing  years  of  life,  quiet  and  repose.  Well,  he  was 
enjoying  these  pleasant  visions  when  he  saw,  some  thirty 
rods  ahead  of  him,  a  huge  bear,  with  her  cubs,  '  travelling 
his  way/  as  the  saying  is,  in  other  words  coming  directly 
towards  him.  He  was  no  hunter,  and  had  with  him  no 
weapon.  He  had  heard  strange  stories  of  the  ferocity  of  the 
bear  when  her  cubs  were  by  her  side,  and  to  say  that  he 
was  not  horribly  frightened  would  be  a  departure  from  the 
strict  requirements  of  truth.  He  had  heard,  too,  that  a  bear 
could  not  climb  a  small,  straight  tree,  and  he.  could.  The 
question  then  was  between  climbing  and  running.  He  was 
not  much  in  a  race,  and  he  decided  to  climb  ;  so  selecting  a 
smooth-barked,  perpendicular  ash  sapling,  he  started  with 
might  and  main  towards  the  top.  He  ^ent  up,  as  he  sup- 
posed, till  he  was  out  of  the  reach  of  the  bear,  and  held  on, 
all  the  time  keeping  his  eye  on  the  animal,  and  making  as 
little  noise  as  possible.  The  bear,  doubtless  seeing  that  he 
was  beyond  her  reach,  passed  "on  out  of  sight,  and  after 


A  TRUE   BEAR   STORY.  219 

he  remained  till  the  danger  was  over,  he  concluded  to 
come  down.  He  was  astonished  to  •  find  that  his  efforts  to 
descend  were  powerless.  He  seemed  to  have  frozen  to  the 
tree.  Upon  looking  around,  to  his  utter  amazement,  he 
found  himself  sitting  on  the  ground,  with  both,  legs  and  arms 
locked  fast  around  the  tree  !  fie  had  not  climbed  an  inch,,  and 
the  bear  had  not  been  aware  of  his  presence  in  the  woods ! 

11  That  ash  sapling  was"  safe  from  that  day.  It  stood  then 
in  the  old  forest.  The  woodman's  axe  spared  it.  It  stands 
now  in  the  open  field,  a  majestic  tree;  its  great  trunk,  eight 
feet  in  circumference,  its  long  arms  covered  with  foliage, 
casting  a  broad  shadow  over  the  pasture  beneath,  in  which 
cattle  and  sheep  seek  for  coolness  and  ruminate  in  the  heat 
of  the  summer  days.  It  is  pointed  out  as  the  tree  which 
the  man  who  was  frightened  by  a  bear  didn't  climb,  and  is 
referred  to  as  evidence  of  the  truth  of  my  story,  as  the 
Dutchman  proved  the  authenticity  of  his  Bible,  '  by  the  pic- 
tures.' " 

"  And  that,"  said  I,  "  puts  me  in  mind  of  a  bear  story,  which 
has  this  merit  over  both  of  yours — it  is  true.  I  can  speak 
of  it  as  a  thing  of  personal  knowledge,  occurring  within  my 
own  personal  experience.  I  began  the  study  of  law  in  An- 
gelica, the  county  seat  of  Alleghany  county,  and  as  it  was  a 
good  many  years  ag*o,  it  is  fair  to  assume  that  I  was  a  good 
many  years  younger  than  I  am  now,  and  that  the  country 
in  that  region  was  younger  too.  Everybody  knows  that 
Alleghany  county  is,  or  used  to  be,  a  great  place  for  whirl- 
winds and  tornadoes.  If  they  do  not,  they  may  understand 


220  BLACKBEBBYING. 

and  be  assured  of  the  fact  now.  A  few  years  (less  than 
twelve)  ago,  a  black  cloud  came  looming  up  in  the  north- 
west, and  started  on  its  career  towards  the  southeast.  As 
it  swept  along,  it  sent  its  fierce  winds  crashing,  and  howl- 
ing, and  roaring,  through  the  old  forests,  uprooting,  hurling 
to  the  ground,  and  scattering  everything  that  encountered 
its  fury.  Houses,  barns,  haystacks,  fences,  trees,  everything 
were  prostrated,  and  to  this  day  its  track  is  visible  in  the 
swath  it  mowed  through  the  old  woods,  from  sixty  to  a 
hundred  rods  wide,  plain  and  distinct  still,  for  miles  and 
miles.  It  was  not  of  that  tornado,  however,  that  I  propose 
to  speak.  Others  had  preceded  it,  and  in  the  country  all 
about  Angelica  were  what  were  called  '  windfalls.'  These 
windfalls  were  neither  more  nor  less  than  the  old  tracks  of 
these  whirlwinds  and  tornadoes,  that  had  swept  down  the 
forest  trees.  Fire  had  finished  what  the  whirlwind  begun. 
In  time,  blackberry-bushes  had  grown  up  among  the  charred 
trunks  of  the  old  pines,  and  other  trees,  bearing  an  immen- 
sity of  fruit;  and  it  was  a  pleasant  resort  for  young  people, 
one  of  those  windfalls,  when  the  blackberries  were  ripe  and 
luscious.  These  windfalls  were  great  places,  too,  for  rab- 
bits, partridges,  and  '  such  small  deer,'  and  it  was  no  great 
thing  to  boast  of,  to  kill  a  dozen  or  two  of  the  birds  of  an 
afternoon. 

"  I  went  out  with  a  friend  one  day  to  one  of  these  wind- 
falls, partly  after  blackberries,  and  partly  for  partridges. 
We  were  both  boys,  younger  than  fifteen,  then,  and  each 
possessing,  probably,  quite  as  much  discretion  as  valor. 


A  RACE.  221 

We  had  separated  a  short  distance  from  each  other,  he  to 
gather  berries,  and  I,  with  a  small  fowling-piece,  in  pursuit 
of  game.  Presently  I  saw  my  friend  crashing  through  the 
brush  towards  me,  and  also  towards  the  fields,  without  his 
basket,  and  bare  headed,  his  hair  standing  straight  up,  put- 
ting in  his  very  best  jumps,  as  if  a  thousand  tigers  were  at 
his  heels.  Without  heeding  for  a  moment  my  anxious  inqui- 
ries as  to  what  was  the  matter,  he  kept  right  on,  leaping 
the  logs  like  a  deer,  looking  neither  to  the  right  hand  nor 
the  left,  but  with  his  coat  tail  sticking  out  on  a  dead  level 
behind,  making  a  straight  wake  for  home.  Fear  is  said  to 
be  contagious,  and  I  believe  in  the  doctrine  that  it  is  so.  I 
caught  it  bad;  and  without  knowing  what  I  was  afraid  of, 
I  started,  and  if  any  fourteen  year  old  boy  can  make  better 
tune  than  I  did  on  that  occasion,  I  should  like  to  see  him 
run.  I  kept  possession  of  my  fowling-piece,  and  came  out 
neck  and  neck  with  my  friend.  We  scrambled  over  the 
outer  fence,  and  ran  some  dozen  rods  or  more  in  the  open 
field,  without  either  of  us  looking  back.  Then,  however, 
we  made  the  astounding  discovery,  that  there  was  nothing 
after  us,  and  we  both  paused  to  take  breath,  and,  so  far  as 
I  was  concerned,  to  ascertain,  if  possible,  what  had  occa- 
sioned the  race.  I  learned  that  my 'friend,  after  I  left  him, 
had  gone  into  the  windfall,  and  was  standing  upon  the  long 
trunk  of  a  fallen  tree,  picking  berries,  when  he  saw,  a  few 
rods  from  him  towards  the  other  end  of  the  log  on  which 
he  was  standing,  a  great  black  hand  reach  up  and  bend 
down  a  tall  blackberry-bush  that  was  loaded  with  berries. 


222   THE  "ADVENTEK  CROP  AND  i  MET  WITH." 

This  alarmed  him  somewhat,  for  whoever  the  great  black 
hand  belonged  to  was  concealed  by  the  thick-  bushes  and 
their  foliage  from  his  view.  Presently,  two  great  black 
hands  were  placed  upon  the  log,  and  a  huge  black  bear 
clambered  lazily  up,  and,  for  a  second,  stood  in  utter  amaze- 
ment, face  to  face,  and  within  fifty  feet  of  my  friend.  Both 
broke  at  the  same  instant,  in  affright;  my  friend  in  one 
direction,  and  the  bear  in  the  other — my  friend  for  the  fields, 
and  the  bear  for  the  deep  woods — and  each  as  anxious  as 
fear  could  make  him  to  put  a  '  broad  belt  of  country '  be- 
tween them.  My  friend  dropped  his  basket,  as  he  leaped 
from  the  log;  it  was  no  time  to  stop  for  a  basket;  a  limb 
caught  his  hat  and  pulled  it  off ;  he  had  not  time  to  stop 
for  his  hat.  The  truth  is,  he  was  in  a  hurry,  and  something 
more  than  a  hat  or  a  basket  was  required  to  stay  his  pro- 
gress towards  home." 

"The  Squire's  stony,"  said  Cullen,  as  he  knocked  the 
ashes  from  his  pipe,  and  commenced  shaving  a  fresh  supply 
of  tobacco  with  his  jack-knife,  and  depositing  it  in  the  palm 
of  his  left  hand,  "the  Squire's  story  reminds  me  of  an 
adventer  Crop  and  I  met  with,  over  towards  St.  Regis 
Lake,  a  good  many  year  ago  ;  and  I'll  state  the  circum- 
stances of  the  case,  as  the  Judge  would  say.  It  was  an 
adventer  that  don't  happen  often — leastwise,  not  in  the  same 
way.  It  made  me  understand  some  things  that  I  hadn't 
much  idea  of  before.  Let  me  tell  you,  Judge,  if  you  don't 
want  a  fight  with  an  animal  that's  got  long  claws  and  sharp 
teeth,  don't  come  close  upon  him  ona wares,  or  may  be 


TRAPPING   AND   HUNTING.  223 

there'll  be  trouble.  Give  him  time  to  think,  and  ten  to  one 
he'll  take  to  his  heels.  Most  animals  have  more  confidence 
in  their  legs  than  they  have  in  their  teeth  and  claws,  and 
they'll  be  very  likely  to  use  'em,  if  you'll  give  'em  time  to 
consider.  But  if  you  find  a  painter,  or  a  bear,  takin'  a  nap 
in  your  path,  and  don't  want  to  have  a  clinch  with  him, 
wake  him  up  before  you  get  right  onto  him,  or  he'll  be  very 
likely  to  think  he's  cornered,  and  them  animals  have  onplea- 
sant  ways  with  'em  when  they're  in  that  fix. 

"  Wai,  as  I  was  sayin',  Crop  and  I  was  over  on  St.  Regis 
Lake,  layin'  in  a  store  of  jerked  venison,  and  trappin'  mar- 
tin, and  mink,  and  muskrat,  and  huntin'  wolves,  and  sich 
other  wild  animals  as  came  in  our  way.  The  scalp  of  a 
wolf  was  good  for  fifteen  dollars  in  them  days,  and  a  back- 
load  of  furs  was  worth  a  heap  of  money.  We  had  a  line  of 
martin  trags  leadin'  back  to  the  hills,  and  over  into  a  valley 
beyond,  where  the  animal  was  plenties  than  they  were  on  our 
side.  In  passin'  along  this  line,  we  had  to  round  the  end  of 
a  hill  that  terminated  in  a  sharp  point  of  rocks.  In  a  deep 
gully  at  its  foot,  a  stream  went  surgin'  over  rapids;  the  bauk 
on  the  side  towards  the  hill  was,  may  be,  twenty  feet  high, 
and  a  right  up  and  down  ledge.  Above  this  ledge,  and 
between  it  and  the  rocky  point,  was  a  narrow  path,  only 
three  or  four  feet  wide,  that  turned  short  around  the  end 
of  the  MIL  On  the  left  hand  was  the  ledge,  and  at  the 
bottom  of  it  were  broken  rocks,  and  on  the  right  was  a 
bluff  point  of  rocks,  that  made  up  the  end  of  the  hill, 


224:  AN   UNEXPECTED   MEETING. 

standin'  straight  up,  may  be,  fifty  feet.     Around  this  point, 
the  path  turned  sharp  almost  as  your  elbow. 

"  I  was  passin'  quietly  round  this  pint,  lookin'  down  into 
the  gully,  with  Crop  at  my  heels,  when,  on  turnin'  the  short 
elbow,  there  I  stood,  face  to  face,  and  within  ten  feet  of  a 
mighty  big  bear,  that  was  travellin'  my  way,  as  the  Judge 
said.  I  had  no  idee  that  he  was  around,  and  I'm  quite 
sartain  he  didn't  expect  to  meet  a  human  in  such  a  place. 
Of  course,  we  were  naterally  astonished  at  seem'  one 
another  just  then,  and  the  meetin'  didn't  seem  to  be  alto- 
gether agreeable  to  either  party.  I  ain't  easily  scared  whea 
I've  time  to  prepare  for  a  scrimmage,  yet,  I'm  free  to  say, 
I'd  have  given  a  couple  of  wolf-scalps  to've  been  on  the 
other  side  of  the  gully,  just  at  that  time.  The  bear  seemed 
to  expect  me  -to  begin  the  fight,  for,  after  gruntin'  out  in  a 
very  oncivil  way  his  surprise  at  makin'  my  acquaintance,  he 
reared  himself  up  on  eend,  and,  with  a  fierce  growl,  showed 
a  set  of  ivory  that  wasn't  pleasant  to  look  at.  I  should 
have  been  willin'  myself,  to've  backed  down,  and  apologized 
for  my  rudeness  in  crossin'  his  path,  for  I  was  carryin'  my 
rifle  carelessly  in  my  left  band,  and  our  meetin'  was  so  sud- 
den that  I  scarcely  had  time  to  bring  it  to  bear  upon  the 
kritter.  I  rather  think  I  should  have  dodged  back,  any 
how,  but  Crop  seemed  to  think  his  master  was  in  danger, 
and  that  he  was  obligated,  live  or  die,  to  go  in.  So,  quick 
as  a  flash,  he  rushed  by  me,  and  threw  himself  into  the  very 
face  of  the  desperate  brute.  Crop  made  a  great  mistake 


OBOP   LEAKN8    WISDOM.  225 

when  he  calculated  he  was  a  match  for  that  bear,  for,  with 
one  cuff,  the  animal  sent,  him  eend  over  eend  down  the  bank, 
upon  the  broken  rocks  below.  ^But  the  little  time  that  was 
so  occupied  saved  me  a  deal  of  trouble  and  danger,  for  it 
lasted  just  long  enough  for  me  to  bring  my  rifle  into  posi- 
tion, which  I  did  about  the  quickest,  you  may  bet  your  life 
on  that.  I  run  my  eye  along  the  barrel,  sighted  him  be- 
tween the  eyes,  and  pulled.  The  bear  keeled  over  onto  his 
back  with  a  jerk,  gave  a  spiteful  kick  with  both  hind  feet, 
and  he,  too,  went  over  the  ledge  onto  the  sharp  rocks  below. 
I  looked  over,  and  saw  Crop  staggerin'  to  his  feet,  and 
lookin'  about  in  a  bewildered  way,  as  if  not  quite  under- 
standin'  how  he  came  there.  I  went  round  a  little  way, 
and  got  down  into  the  gully  where  the  animals  were.  I 
found  the  bear  stone  dead,  and  Crop  with  two  ribs  broken 
and  his  shoulder  out  of  joint,  whinin',  and  moaniu'  piteously 
with  pain.  I  set  his  shoulder  as  well  as  I  could,  and,  after 
takin'  the  skin  off  the  bear,  I  backed  him  two  miles  to  my 
shanty.  It  was  a  fortnight  before  he  '  left  the  house,'  but 
he  learned  a  little  piece  of  wisdom  by  that  cuff  that  sent 
him  down  the  bank,  and  got  a  little  insight  into  the  nater 
of  an  angry  bear." 


10* 


CHAPTER  XX. 

THE  CHASE  ON  THE  ISLAND — THE  CHASE  IN  THE  LAKE — THE 

BEAR GAMBLING  FOR  GLORY ANECDOTE  OF  NOAH  AND  THE 

GENTLEMAN  WHO  OFFERED  TO  OFFICIATE  AS  PILOT  ON  BOARD 
THE  ARK. 

WE  had  as  yet  had  no  use  for  our  dogs  since  we .  left  the 
Saranac.  They  had  travelled  quietly  with  us  as  we  moved 
from  place  to  place,  or  stayed  inactive  at  the  tents  while  we 
remained  stationary.  The  game  was  so  abundant,  that  the 
real  difficulty  was  to  restrain  ourselves  from  destroying  more 
than  was  needful  for  our  use.  We  had  indeed,  failed  to  live 
strictly  up  to  the  law  we  had  imposed  upon  ourselves,  for 
we  had  at  all  tunes  trout  and  venison  beyond  our  present 
wants,  excusing  ourselves  on  the  ground  that  an  excess  of 
supply  was  always  preferable  to  a  scant  commissairat.  More 
than  one  deer  was  slaughtered,  if  the  truth  must  be  told, 
for  no  better  reason  than  that  given  by  an  Irishman 
for  smashing  a  bald  head  he  chanced  to  see  at  a  window  :  it 
presented  a  mark  too  tempting  to  be  resisted. 

226 


THE   CHASE   ON   THE   ISLAND.  227 

We  started  in  the  morning  to  course  a  deer  upon  an 
island,  containing  perhaps  sixty  acres,  opposite  and  across 
the  lake  from  our  camping  ground.  We  stationed  two  of 
our  boats  between  the  island  and  the  shore  nearest  the 
main  land,  and  the  other  on  the  opposite  side,  and  sent 
Cullen  upon  the  island  to  beat  for  game.  It  was  scarcely 
five  minutes,  before  the  voices  of  the  dogs  broke  upon  the 
stillness  of  the  morning,  in  a  simultaneous  and  fierce  cry,  as  if 
they  had  started  the  game  suddenly,  and  fresh  from  his  lair. 
Away  they  went  in  full  cry  across  the  island,  the  deer 
sweeping  around  the  upper  end,  and  returning  on  the  oppo- 
site side,  as  if  loth  to  take  to  the  water  ;  but  true  to  their 
instincts,  the  hounds  followed,  making  the  hills  and  the  old 
woods  ring  again  with  the  music  of  their  voices.  Presently, 
a  noble  buck  broke  cover,  directly  opposite  to  where  the 
Doctor  and  Smith's  boat  lay.  As  our  object  was  rather  to 
enjoy  the  music  of  the  chase,  than  to  capture  the  deer,  they 
shouted  and  hallooed  as  he  entered  the  water,  and  he  wheeled 
back,  and  went  tearing  in  huge  affright  through  the  woods, 
up  the  island  again.  Still  the  howling  was  upon  his  trail, 
and  as  he  approached  the  upper  end,  he  again  took  to  the 
water,  to  be  frightened  back  by  Martin  and  myself,  and 
with  renewed  energy  he  bounded  across  to  a  point  stretch- 
ing out  into  the  lake  on  the  opposite  side.  Here  Spaldiug 
and  Wood  were  stationed,  and  they,  by  their  shouting,  drove 
him  back  again  to  the  thickets.  By  this  time,  the  poor 
animal  began  to  appreciate  the  full  peril  of  his  position,  for 
turn  where  he  would  he  found  an  enemy  in  front,  while  the 


228  THE  CHASE  IN  THE  LAKE. 

» 

cry  of  his  pursuers  followed  him  like  his  destiny.  Thus  far 
every  effort  to  escape  by  taking  to  the  water  had  failed,  and 
he  seemed  to  think,  as  Martin  expressed  it,  that  "  day  was 
breaking."  He  essayed  it  again  on  the  land  side,  and  was 
driven  back  by  us,  and  thus  he  coursed  three  times  round 
the  island,  until,  in  desperation,  he  plunged  into  the  broad 
lake  and  struck  boldly  out  for  the  opposite  shore,  three 
quarters  of  a  mile  distant.  Spalding  shouted  to  us,  and 
when  we  rounded  the  headland,  we  saw  that  he  and  Wood 
had  headed,  and  were  driving  him  towards  a  small  island, 
of  less  than  half  an  acre,  covered  only  with  low  bushes,  half 
a  mile  down  the  lake.  We  did  not  propose  to  harm  him, 
but  we  intended  to  drive  him  upon  that  little  island,  and  by 
surrounding  it,  keep  him  there  for  a  while  by  way  of  experi- 
menting upon  his  fears,  or  rather  as  Martin  said,  "  to  see 
what  he  would  do."  As  he  approached  the  shore,  he  bound- 
ed upon  the  island,  and  tossing  his  head  from  side  to  side, 
as  if  looking  for  a  place  of  concealment  or  escape.  Finding 
none,  he  dashed  across  to  the  opposite  side  and  plunged 
into  the  lake.  He  was  met  by  the  Doctor  and  Smith,  and 
turned  back.  He  rushed  in  another  direction,  across  the 
island,  to  be  headed  by  the  boat  in  which  I  was  seated,  and 
again  in  another  direction  to  be  headed  by  Spalding.  Thus 
met  and  driven  back  at  every  turn,  he  at  last  stationed  him- 
self on  a  high  knoll,  near  the  centre  of  the  island,  apparently 
expecting  that  the  last  struggle  for  life  was  to  be  made 
there.  We  rested  upon  our  oars,  making  no  noise,  and 
watching  his  movements.  The  bushes  were  low,  coining 


THE   GAME   ESCAPES.  229 

only  up  midside  to  the  animal.  He  watched  us  intently 
for  half  an  hour,  tossing  his  head  up  and  down,  looking  first 
at  one,  then  at  another,  as  if  calculating  from  which  the 
attack  upon  his  life  was  to  come.  At  last,  as  if  overcome 
by  weariness,  or  concluding  that  after  all  there  was  no  real 
danger,  he  laid  quietly  down.  In  answer  to  his  confidence 
in  the  harmlessness  of  our  intentions,  we  rowed  away  back 
to  the  island  where  we  started  him.  We  had  not  reached  it, 
however,  when  we  saw  him  enter  the  water,  and  swim  to 
the  main  land,  and  glad  enough  he  seemed  to  be  when  he 
had  regained  the  protection  of  his  native  forests. 

We  took  our  dogs  from  the  island,  and  rowed  to  the 
broad  channel  of  the  inlet  which  enters  the  lake  on  the  left 
hand  side,  as  you  look  to  the  south.  There  are  two  of 
these  inlets,  which  enter  within  a  quarter  of  a  mile  of  each 
other,  each  of  which  comes  down  from  little  lakes,  or  ponds, 
deeper  in  the  wilderness.  The  one  we  entered  flows  in  a 
tortuous  course  through  a  natural  meadow,  stretching  away 
on  either  hand  forty  or  fifty  rods,  to  a  dense  forest  of 
spruce,  maple,  and  beech,  above  which  gigantic  pines  stand 
stately  and  tall  in  their  pride.  Three  miles  from  the  lake, 
the  hills  approach  each  other,  and  the  little  river  comes 
plunging  down  through  a  gorge,  over  shelving  rocks,  and 
around  great  boulders,  as  if  mad  with  the  obstructions  piled 
up  in  its  way. 

As  we  approached  these  falls,  Smith,  who  sat  in  the  bow 
of  the  boat,  motioned  to  the  boatman  to  lay  upon  his  oars, 
and  pointed  to  an  object  partly  concealed  by  some  low 


230  A   BEAK   TKEED. 

bushes,  forty  or  fifty  rods  in  advance  of  us.  Remaining 
perfectly  still  a  moment,  we  saw  a  bear  step  out  upon  a 
boulder,  look  up  and  down  the  stream,  and  stretch  his  long 
nose  out  over  the  water,  as  if  looking  for  a  good  place  to 
cross  the  rapids.  After  scratching  his  ear  with  one  of  his 
hind  feet,  and  his  side  with  the  other,  he  turned  and  walked 
deliberately  from  our  sight  into  the  forest.  By  this  time, 
the  boat  with  the  dogs  came  in  sight,  and  we  beckoned  its 
occupants  to  come  to  us.  One  of  the  hounds  only  had  ever 
seen  game  of  this  kind.  But  Cullen  declared  that  there  was 
no  game  that  they  would  not  follow  when  once  fairly  laid 
on.  We  wanted  that  bear.  It  was  the  only  one  we  had 
seen  ;  indeed  it  was  the  only  one  I  had  ever  seen  wild  in  the 
forest.  We  went  to  the  spot  where  we  last  saw  him,  and 
there  in  the  sand,  by  the  side  of  the  boulder,  was  his  great 
track,  almost  like  a  human  foot.  Cullen  called  the  atten- 
tion of  the  dogs  to  it,  and  hallooed  them  on.  They  took  the 
scent  cheerfully,  and  with  a  united  and  fierce  cry  they 
dashed  away  in  pursuit.  They  had  ran  but  a  short  distance, 
when  they  seemed  to  become  stationary,  and  deep,  quick 
baying  succeeded  the  lengthened  and  ringing  sound  of  their 
voices. 

"  Treed,  by  Moses  1"  cried  Cnllen,  as  he  dashed  forward, 
the  rest  of  us  following  as  fast  as  we  could. 

"  Not  too  fast,"  said  Martin,  "  not  too  fast.  There's  no 
hurry  ;  he  won't  come  down  unless  our  noise  frightens  him. 
Let  us  go  quietly  ;  there's  plenty  of  time.  Belcher  ias  got 
his  eye  on  him,  and  will  stay  by  him  till  we  come." 


BRUIN  BROUGHT  TO  THE  GROUND.        231 

We  travelled  quietly,  and  as  silently  as  we  could  for  near 
half  a  mile,  and  as  we  rounded  a  low  but  steep  point  of  a 
hill,  there  sat  bruin,  some  twelve  rods  from  us,  in  the  forks 
of  a  great  birch  tree,  forty  feet  from  the  ground,  looking 
down  in  calm  dignity  upon  the  dogs  that  were  baying  and 
leaping  up  against  the  tree  beneath  him.  Did  anybody  ever 
notice  what  a  meek,  innocent  look  a  bear  has  when  in 
repose  ?  How  hypocritically  he  leers  upon  everything  about 
him,  as  if  butter  would  not  melt  in  his  mouth  ?  Well,  such 
was  the  look  of  that  bear,  as  he  peered  out  first  on  one  side, 
then  on  the  other  of  the  great  limbs  between  which  he  was 
sitting,  secure,  as  he  supposed,  from  danger.  But  he  was 
never  more  mistaken  in  his  life.  In  watching  the  dogs  he 
had  failed  to  discover  us.  We  agreed  that  three  should  fire 
upon  him  at  once,  reserving  the  fourth  charge  for  whatever 
contingency  might  happen.  Smith,  the  Doctor,  and  Spald- 
ing  sighted  him  carefully,  each  with  his  rifle  resting  against 
the  side  of  a  tree,  and  blazed  away,  their  guns  sounding 
almost  together.  It  was  pitiful  the  scream  of  agony  that 
bear  sent  up.  It  was  almost  human  in  its  anguish.  It 
went  ringing  through  the  woods,  dying  away  at  last  almost 
in  a  human  groan.  After  struggling  and  clasping  his  arms 
for  a  moment  around  the  great  branch  of  the  tree,  his 
hold  relaxed,  he  reeled  from  side  to  side,  and  then  fell 
heavily  to  the  ground,  with  three  balls  within  an  inch  of  each 
other,  right  through  his  vitals.  He  was  larger  than  a 
medium  sized  animal  of  his  species,  and  in  excellent  case. 

The  next  thing  in  order  was  to  transport  him  to  our  boats. 


232  ROAST    BEAR. 

This  was  done  by  tying  his  feet  together,  then  running  a 
long  pole,  cut  for  the  purpose,  between  them,  and  lifting 
each  end  upon  the  shoulder  of  a  boatman,  he  was  "  strung 
up,"  as  Cullen  expressed  it,  clear  from  the  ground.  They 
stumbled  along  as  best  they  could,  over  the  rough  ground, 
and  through  the  tangle  brush,  towards  the  river.  It  was  a 
heavy  load  considering  the  unevenness  of  the  path,  and  the 
men  were  compelled  to  halt  every  few  rods  to  breathe.  We 
got  him  safely  to  the  landing  at  last,  and  tumbling  him  into 
the  bottom  of  one  of  the  boats,  started  down  stream  towards 
our  shanty.  A  proud  trio  were  Spalding,  Smith,  and  the 
Doctor  that  afternoon,  returning  with  their  game  across  the 
lake  ;  and  they  certainly  had  some  occasion  to  congratulate 
themselves,  for  this  was  the  first  wild,  uncaged  bear  either 
of  us  had  ever  seen,  and  him  they  had  succeeded  in  cap- 
turing. 

We  dined  that  afternoon  on  a  roasted  sirloin  of  bear,  slewed 
jerked  venison,  fried  trout,  and  pork.  I  cannot  say  that  I 
altogether  relished  the  roast,  though  some  of  our  company 
took  to  it  hugely.  The  truth  is,  that  with  some  of  them 
venison  and  trout  were  beginning  to  be  somewhat  stale 
dishes,  they  did  not  relish  fat  pork,  and  a  change  therefore 
to  roasted  bear  meat  was  peculiarly  acceptable. 

"  Gentlemen,"  said  Smith  to  the  Doctor  and  Spalding,  as 
we  sat  after  our  meal,  enjoying  our  pipes,  "  what  say  you  to 
selling  out  your  interest  in  that  bear  ?  If  you're  open  for  a 
bargain,  I'll  make  you  a  proposition." 

"  Why,"  the  Doctor  replied,  "  there'll  be  nothing  left  but 


GAMBLING   FOR   GLOEY.  233 

the  skin,  and  that  will  be  of  uo  special-  value  except  as  a 
trophy." 

"  Not  exactly,"  resumed  Smith.  "  FH  deal  frankly  with 
you,  gentlemen.  There'll  be  a  good  many  stories  to  be  told 
about  the  killing  of  that  bear,  and  my  object  is  to  appropri- 
ate the  glory  of  the  achievement.  Now  it  wont  be  a  mat- 
ter to  boast  of,  to  say  that  we  three  fired  into  one  bear,  and 
that  none  of  the  largest." 

"  Oh  1  as  to  that,"  said  the  Doctor,  "  I  intend  to  enlarge 
upon  the  subject,  exaggerating  the  size  of  the  bear,  describ- 
ing the  terrible  conflict  I  had  with  him,  how  I  happened  to 
save  myself  by  remembering  my  double-barrelled  pistol ;  how 
I  made  the  three  ball  holes  in  him,  while  you  and  Spalding 
were  running  away,  and  how  he  bit  me  in  the  arm,  and 
almost  hugged  me  to  death,  while  I  was  trying  to  get  at 
the  pistol.  I  shall  shine  in  that  bear  story  !  Yes  !  yes  I  I 
shall  shine  1 " 

"  Hear  the  cormorant ! "  exclaimed  Smith.  "  Hear  him  I 
And  he'll  do  precisely  as  he  says  he  will,  only  a  great  deal 
worse.  We  must  buy  him  but,  Spalding.  We  must  pur- 
chase his  silence  for  our  own  credit."  t 

"  Well,  gentlemen,"  replied  Spalding,  "  settle  it  between 
you — you  are  welcome  to  my  share  of  the  achievement.  The 
scream  of  mortal  agony  which  that  bear  sent  up  when  our 
three  balls  went  crashing  through  its  body  rings  in  my  ears 
yet.  I  don't  feel  quite  so  proud  of  the  shot  as  I  otherwise 
should  have  done.  You  are  welcome  to  my  share  of  the 
glory." 


234  GAMBLING  FOE  GLOET. 

"  Spoken  like  a  liberal  and  free-hearted  gentleman,"  said 
Smith.  "Well,  Doctor,  name  the  amount  and  nature  of 
the  blackmail  you  intend  to  levy  upon  me.  But  have  a  con- 
science, man  !  have  a  conscience  ! " 

"  It  will  be  making  a  great  sacrifice  on  my  part,"  the 
Doctor  replied,  "  but  out  of  friendship  for  you,  I'll  make  you 
a  proposition.  We'll  toss  up  a  dollar,  and  the  one  that  wins 
shall  have  the  honour  of  having  killed  the  bear,  and  of  tell- 
ing the  story  in  his  own  way,  and  the  others  shall  indorse  it." 

"  Agreed,"  said  Smith,  "  but  if  you  win,  I  shall  have  to 
borrow  a  conscience  of  Spalding,  or  some  other  lawyer,  for 
there'll  be  need  of  a  pretty  elastic  one." 

"  Yours  will  answer,  I  think,"  drily  remarked  Spalding. 
*  "  It  appears  to  me,  gentlemen,"  said  I  "  that  I've  some- 
thing to  say  about  the  killing  of  that  bear." 

"  You,"  exclaimed  the  Doctor,  "  what  had  you  to  do  with 
it,  pray  ?  There  stands  your  rifle,  with  the  same  ball  in  it 
that  you  placed  there  this  morning.  You  havn't  discharged 
your  rifle  to-day." 

"  Notwithstanding  that,"  I  replied,  "  I  am  entitled  to  a 
portion  of  tlje  glory,  as  I  am  chargeable  with  my  share  of 
the  responsibility,  of  killing  the  bear.  I  was  one  of  the  first 
who  discovered  him  ;  I  was  among  the  foremost  in  the  pur- 
suit ;  I  was  present,  aiding  and  advising  in  the  manner  of 
the  killing  ;  I  had  my  weapon  in  my  hand,  and  was  re- 
strained from  using  it,  only  because  you  might  fail  to  ac- 
complish what  my  reserved  bullet  would  have  made  secure 
Now,  if  this  bear  had  been  human,  and  we  were  accused  of 


IGNORANCE   OF   SCRIPTURE.  235 

killing  him,  I  would  be  regarded  in  the  eye  of  the  law  as 
equally  guilty  with  you.  I  appeal  to  Spalding  if  this  is 
not  so  ?" 

"  H is  right,"  replied  Spalding,  as  he  sent  a  column 

of  smoke  wreathing  upward  from  his  lips.  "  Such  is  the 
law." 

"  We  must  buy  this  fellow  off,  Smith,"  said  the  Doctor, 
"  we  must  buy  him  off.  He's  an  old  hunter,  known  as 
such,  and  he'll  take  to  himself  all  the  glory  ;  and  what  is 
worse,  the  world  will  believe  him.  He'll  spread  himself  be- 
yond all  bounds.  He'll  shine  beyond  endurance  upon  the 
strength  of  this  bear.  We  must  buy  him  off.  It  is  against 
all  conscience,  but  there  is  no  help  for  it.  We  must  buy 
him  off.  There's  an  impudence  in  this  claim  which  re- 
minds me  of  an  anecdote  related  by  Noah." 

"  By  Noah  ?"  asked  Smith,  interrupting  him,  "  Noah 
who?" 

"  What  ignorance  there  is  in  this  world,  even  in  these 
days  of  educational  enlightenment !"  remarked  the  Doctor 
to  Spalding  and  myself.  "  Now,  here  is  a  decently  informed 
gentleman,  claiming  to  be  a  Christian  man,  to  .have  studied 
the  Bible,  and  dont  know  who  Noah  was.  Such  an  instance 
of  human  ignorance  in  these  times,  is  shocking." 

"  Oh  !  I  understand  now,"  said  Smith,  "  he  was  the  gen- 
tleman who  built  the  ark.  Well,  go  on  with  your  anec- 
dote." 

"  Well,  as  I  was  saying,"  the  Doctor  resumed,  "  this  claim 
of  H 'a  to  a  share  of  the  glory  of  slaying  the  bear,  re- 


TRYING   TO   ESCAPE   THE   DELUGE. 

^ 

minds  me  of  an  anecdote  related  by  Noah  soon  after  the 
subsidence  of  the  flood,  and  it  shows  that  impudence  is,  at 
least,  not  post-deluvian  in  its  origin.  It  seems  that  there 
were  in  the  world  before,  as  well  as  after  the  flood,  some 
very  meddling  impudent  fellows,  who  were  always  interfering 
with  other  people's  business,  claiming  a  share  of  other 
people's  credit,  trying  to  make  the  world  believe  that  they 
were  great  things,  and  pursuading  everybody  that  whatever 
remarkable  achievement  was  accomplished,  occurred  through 
their  counsel  and  advice,  and  as  a  consequence,  claiming  a 
large  share  of  all  the  honors  going. 

"  Well,  after  the  rain  had  continued  falling  for  a  number 
of  days,  and  the  valleys  were  all  full  of  water,  and  the  angry 
Urges  went  roaring,  with  the  voice  of  ten  thousand  thunders, 
high  up  along  the  sides  of  the  hills,  one  of  these  pestilent 
fellows — deriding  the  miraculous  exhibition  going  on  all 
around  him — undertook,  in  his  self-conceit,  to  lead  the  peo- 
ple to  a  place  of  safety.  So  he  selected  a  lofty  peak  that 
shot  up  from  a  range  of  mountains,  and  commenced  travel- 
ling up  its  steep  acclivities.  But  the  flood  followed  him, 
roaring,  and  boiling,  and  heaving,  in  its  onward  rush.  Day 
by  day,  night  by  night,  it  crept  up,  and  up,  higher  and 
higher,  until  the  self-confident  leader,  who  scoffed  at  the 
supernatural  warning,  had  but  a  mighty  small  place  above 
the  surge,  whereon  to  shelter  himself  from  the  destruction 
that  surrounded  him.  About  that  time  the  Ark,  with  Noah 
and  his  people,  all  safe  and  snug,  came  drifting  that  way. 
"'  Halloo !'  says  the  occupant  of  the  rock,  'send  us  a 


A  REJECTED   APPLICANT.  237 

boat,  and  take  us  aboard.  The  freshet  is  getting  pretty  bad, 
and  it  is  getting  a  little  damp,  up  here.' 

"  '  I  can't  do  it,'  says  Noah,  '  my  craft  is  full  of  better 
people.' 

" '  But,'  says  the  applicant  for  admission  into  the  Ark, 
'let  me  in,  and  I'll  superintend  the  navigation.  I'll  man 
the  wheel,  and  see  that  the  sails  are  all  right,  and  we  can 
pick  up  a  deal  of  floating  plunder  as  we  go  along.' 

"  '  Can't  do  it,'  says  Noah,  '  we've  got  a  good  steersman 
and  safe  navigators  on  board  already." 

"  'Well,'  says  the  applicant,  '  I'll  work  my  passage  as  a 
deck  hand,  asking  only  a  small  portion  of  such  spoils  as  we 
may  pick  up.  Come,  bring  us  aboard.' 

"  '  Can't  do  it,'  says  Noah,  '  can't  think  of  such  a  thing." 

"  '  Then,'  said  the  persevering  applicant  for  a  passage  in 
the  Ark,  '  I'll  go  along  for  nothing — giving  the  benefit  of  my 
counsel  and  assistance  free  gratis  ;  more  than  all  that,  I'll 
stand  the  liquor  all  round.' 

" '  No  use  in  talking,'  says  Noah,  '  you  can't  come,  on 
board  of  my  craft,  on  any  terms.  You'd  corrupt  my  people, 
and  set  them  by  the  ears  in  a  week.  You  can't  have  a  berth 
on  any  conditions.  Good-bye  1' 

" '  Then  go  to  thunder  with  your  old  Ark,'  indignantly 
responded  the  occupant  of  the  rock,  '  I  don't  believe  there's 
going  to  be  much  of  a  shower,  after  all.' 

"  In  a  day  or  two,  Noah  drifted  that  way  again.  The 
mountain  peak  had  disappeared  beneath  the  waters,  and  the 
occcupants  were  all  gone." 


238  SMITH  WINS  THE  GLORY. 

"  I  give  up  my  claim,"  said  I,  "  Doctor,  in  consideration 
of  your  anecdote.  Take  the  glory  of  killing  the  bear.  I 
see  you're  not  disposed  to  give  me  a  place  in  your  Ark.  So 
toss  up  the  dollar." 

The  dollar  was  tossed  up,  and  Smith  won  the  glory. 


CHAPTER    XXL 

THE    DOCTOR   AND   HIS    WIFE    ON   A   FISHING     EXCURSION — THE 
LAW    OF  THE   CASE — STRONG-MINDED   WOMEN. 

THE  right  to  the  glory  of  having  killed  the  bear  being 
settled,  the  Doctor,  addressing  himself  to  Spalding,  re- 
marked— "  There  was  something  in  H 's  appeal  to  you 

about  the  law  of  his  case,  |hat  reminded  me  of  a  little  scene 
between  my  wife  and  myself,  many  years  ago,  when  we  were 
both  younger  than  we  are  now,  and  certainly  had  never  anti- 
cipated the  dark  years  of  trial,  through  which  we  were  un- 

•^ 
,  expectedly  called  upon  to  pass.     You  know  that  I  started  in 

life,  like  Smith  here,  a  gentleman  of  fortune,  calculating, 
like  him,  to  live  at  my  ease,  without  troubling  myself  with 
the  cares  of  any  particular  business,  as  I  passed  along. 
Still  I  thought,  or  rather  my  father  thought,  that  it  would 
be  well  enough,  even  for  a  gentleman,  to  have  at  least  a 
nominal  title  to  some  profession.  So  I  studied  the  law,  and 
was  admitted  as  an  attorney  and  counsellor  of  the  courts. 
Never  intending  to  practise,  I  did  not  become  very  pro- 


240  THE   DOCTOR  AND   HIS   WIFE 

foundly  learned  in  the  profession  ;  still  I  became,  to  some 
extent,  indoctrinated  with  its  mysteries.  I  did  not  like  it ; 
and  when  the  necessity  for  some  active  employment  came 
looming  up  in  the  distance,  I  chose  a  different  calling,  and 
at  six-and-twenty,  commenced  the  study  of  my  present  pro- 
fession. This  did  not  occur  until  after  I  had  been  married 
some  three  years.  I  lived  in  the  country  then,  or  rather,  sum- 
mered there,  in  a  beautiful  little  village  in  the  interior  of  the 
State,  in  a  pleasant,  old-fashioned  house,  which  my  father 
built,  and  which,  as  I  was  his  only  heir,  I  supposed  of  course 
I  owned.  Some  half  a  dozen  miles  from  the  village  was  a 
fine  trout  stream,  to  which  my  wife  and  myself  used  occa- 
sionally to  go  on  a  fishing  excursion.  On  such  occasions 
we  went  on  horseback,  as  the  road  was  somewhat  rough, 
and  my  wife  was  as  much  at  home  in  the  saddle  as  I  was. 
This,  I  repeat,  was  a  good  while  %go,  and  we  were  both  a 
score  of  years  younger  than  we  are  now.  Well,  I  started 
out  alone  one  day  to  visit  this  trout  stream,  anticipating  a 
good  time  with  its  speckled,  and  usually  greedy  inhabitants. 
I  say  I  was  alone,  and  yet  there  was  with  me,  all  the  way, 
and  all  the  iime,  one  who  can  talk,  reason,  philosophise,  un- 
derstand things  as  well  as  you  or  I ;  and  one,  to  all 
appearance,  as  much  and  distinctly  human  as  you  or  I." 

"  Impossible  !"  exclaimed  Smith,  "  we  can't  go  that,  Doc- 
tor. I  can't  stand  my  quarter  of  that." 

"Foolish  man  !"  continued  the  Doctor  ;  "I  say  I  was 
alone  ;  let  me  demonstrate  my  proposition.  BLACKSTONE  says, 
and  what  he  says  every  lawyer  will  concede  is  the  end  of  the 


GO   ON   A   FISHING   EXCURSION.  241 

law,  and  the  beginning  too,  for  that  matter,  that  when  a 
woman  becomes  a  wife,  she  loses  her  identity,  becomes 
nobody  ;  that  her  husband  absorbs  her  existence,  as  it  were, 
as  he  does  her  goods  and  chattels,  in  his  own.  Now,  sir,  do 
you  comprehend  ?  My  wife  was  with  me,  and  she,  being 
according  to  law  nobody,  of  course  I  was  alone.  You,  sir, 
being  a  law  abiding  man,  must  admit  that  my  proposition 
is  Q.  E.  D. 

"  The  doctrine  of  absorption,  as  I  call  it,  is  convenient. 
It  promotes  harmony  of  action,  by  subjecting  it  to  the  con- 
trol of  a  single  will,  thus  avoiding  all  embarrassment  from  a 
conflict  of  opinion  between  man  and  wife.  So,  on  my  way 
to  the  trout  stream  (I  say  my  way,  for  though  my  wife  was 
on  horseback  by  my  side,  yet  she  being,  according  to  the  best 
legal  authorities,  nobody,  you  see  I  was  alone),  I  thought  I 
would  enlighten  the  good  lady  in  regard  to  the  true  posi- 
tion, or  rather  the  no  position  at  all,  which  she  occupied. 
Our  way  lay  for  a  couple  of  miles  along  an  old  road,  to- 
wards a  clearing  which  had  been  abandoned,  and  through 
which  the  stream  flawed.  The  tall  old  trees  spread  their 
long  arms  over  us,  clothed  in  the  rich  verdure  of  spring,  and 
the  breeze,  so  fresh  and  fragrant,  moaned,  and  sighed,  and 
whispered  among  the  leaves. 

"  '  My  dear,'  said  I,  blandly,  as  we  rode  along,  the  birds 
singing  merrily  among  the  branches  above  us,  '  do  you  know 
that  you  are  NOBODY  ?' 

"  '  Nobody,  Mr.  W ,'  (I  was  simply  Mr.  W then; 

I  had  not  become,  nor  even  dreamed  that  I  should  become 

11 


242  ARGUING   THE   MATTES. 

a  Doctor),  'Nobody,  Mr.  W ?  Did  you  say  no- 
body ?' 

" '  Absolutely  nobody,'  said  I.  '  A  perfect  nonentity. 
You  are  less  even  than  a  legal  fiction.' 

" '  Look  you/  said  she,  as  she  applied  the  whip  to  her 
pony,  in  a  way  that  brought  him,  with  a  bound,  across  the 
road  directly  in  fronts  of  me  (she  rode  like  a  belted  knight), 

obstructing  my  progress,  '  Look  you,  Mr.  W /  and  there 

was  a  red  spot  on  her  cheek,  and  her  eye  sparkled  like 
the  sheen  of  a  diamond,  '  let  us  settle  this  matter  now.  I 
can  bear  being  of  small  consideration,  occupying  very  little 
space  in  the  world,  but  to  be  stricken  out  of  existence  en- 
tirely, to  possess  no  legal  identity,  to  be  regarded  as  abso- 
lutely nobody,  is  a  thing  I  don't  intend  to  stand — mark  that, 
Mr.  W .' 

" ' Keep  cool,  my  dear,'  said  I ;  'let  us  argue  this  mat- 
ter.' I  was  calm,  for  I  knew  the  law  was  on  my  side  ;  I 
had  the  books,  and  the  courts,  and  the  s'tatutes  all  in  my 
favor.  I  w£3  fortified,  you  see. 

"  '  Argue  the  matter  !J  she  exclaimed  ;  '  not  till  it  is  ad- 
mitted that  I'm  somebody.  If  I'm  nobody,  I  can't  be  argued 

with,  I  can't  reason,  nor  talk.     Now,  Mr.  W ,  Pve  a 

tongue.' 

'"Gospel  truth,'  said  I,  'whatever  the  authorities  may 
say.  But  we  will  admit,  for  the  sake  of  the  argument,  that 
you  are  somebody  ;  BLACKSTONE  says ' 

"  '  Out  on  BLACKSTONE,'  she  exclaimed  ;  '  what  do  I  care 
for  BLACKSTONE,  whose  bones  have  been  mouldering  in  the 


A   LEGAL   ENTITY.  243 

grave  for  more  than  a  hundred  years,  for  what  I  know. 
Don't  talk  to  me  about  BLACKSTONE.' 

" '  But,  my  dear,  you  are  my  wife,  and  BLACKSTONE 
says' 

"  '  I  don't  care  a  fig  what  BLACKSTONE  says.  If  I  am  your 
wife,  I  am  my  mother's  daughter,  and  my  brother's  sister, 
and  Tommy's  mother,  and  there  are  four  distinct  individu- 
alities all  centered  in  myself.' 

"  'But,'  said  I  again,  ' BLBCKSTONE  says' 

"  '  Confound  that  Blackstone,'  she  exclaimed  ;  '  I  do  be- 
lieve he  has  driven  the  wits  out  of  the  man's  head.  Now, 

look  you,  Mr.  W ,  you  invited  me  to  ride  with  you  ;  you 

now  say  I  am  nobody.  Very  well.  If  nobody  leaves  you, 
I  suppose  you  won't  be  without  company,  for  somebody  cer- 
tainly left  home  with  you  this  morning,  and  has  rode  with 

you  thus  far.     So,  good-bye,  Mr.  W ;  success  to  your 

fishing,  Mr,  W ,'  and  she  struck  into  a  gallop  towards 

home. 

"  '  Hallo  !'  said  I,  '  I  give  up  the  point.  I  take  back  all 
I  said.  CWpa  mea,  my  good  wife.  IiBlackstone  does 
say' 

"  '  Not  a  word  more  about  Blackstone,'  said  she,  shaking 
her  whip,  half  serious  half  playfully,  at  me  ;  '  if  I  go  with 
you,  I  go  as  somebody — a  legal  entity.' 

"  '  Very  well,'  said  I,  '  we'll  drop  the  argument.' 

"  '  Not  the  argument,  but  the  fact,  Mr.  W ;  and  ad- 
mit that  Blackstone  was  a  goose,  and  that  his  law,  like  his 
logic,  is  all  nonsense  when  measured  by  the  standard  of 


244  A  FINALITY. 

common  sense  and  practical  fact.  Admit  that  a  woman, 
when  she  becomes  a  wife  does  not  become  a  mere  nonentity, 
or  I  leave  you  to  jonrney  alone.'  . 

«  <  Very  well,  my  dear,  let  us  see  if  we  cannot  compromise 
this  matter.  Suppose  we  allow  his  philosophy  to  stand  as  a 
general  truth,  making  you  an  exception.  We'll  say  that 
wives  in  general  are  nobody,  but  that  you  shall  be  exempt 
from  the  general  rule,  and  be  considered  always  hereafter, 
and  as  between  ourselves,  as  somebody.' 

"You  see  the  shrewdness  of  my  proposition.  Firstly,  it 
saved  BLACKSTONE  :  secondly,  it  saved  me,  let  me  down  easy  ; 
and  thirdly,  it  appealed  to  the  womanly  vanity  of  my  wife, 
and  it  took. 

" '  Oh,  well,'  she  said,  as  she  brought  her  pony  alongside 
of  me,  and  we  jogged  along  cosily  together,  '  I  see  no  ob- 
jection to  that.  Other  wives  can  take  care  of  themselves. 

But  this  compromise,  as  between  us,  Mr.  W ,  must  be  a 

finality.  No  Nebraska  traps,  Mr.  W .  No  Kansas 

bills  hereafter.  It  must  be  a  finality,  mind.' 

"  '  Very  well,'  said  I ;  and  a  robin  that  was  building  its 
nest  on  a  limb  that  hung  over  the  road,  paused  in  its  labors, 
and  burst  into  song,  and  the  burden  of  its  lay  seemed  to  be 
a  compromise,  which,  in  truth,  should  be  a  FINALITY. 

"  We  were  successful  in  our  fishing,  and  we  followed  the 
old-fashioned  custom  as  to  bait.  We  discarded  the  fly,  using 
only  the  angle-worm.  At  the  foot  of  the  ripples  ;  under  the 
old  logs  ;  where  the  water  went  whirling  under  the  cavern- 
ous banks  ;  in  the  eddies  ;  among  the  driftwood  ;  every- 


STRONG-MINDED   WOMEN.  245 

where,  we  found  trout — not  large,  none  weighing  over  six 
ounces,  and  few  less  than  three.  We  caught  my  basket  full 
in  less  then  two  hours,  and  then  rode  home.  It  was  a  day 
of  enjoyment  to  us,  you  may  be  sure. 

"  And  now  I  appeal  to  yon,  in  all  seriousness,  my  friend," 
the  Doctor  continued,  addressing  himself  to  Spalding,  "  if 
there  is  not  something  due  to  the  wives  and  mothers  of  the 
present  generation  ?  Is  there  not  some  relaxation  of  the 
law  necessary  in  vindication  of  the  civilization  of  the  age, 
against  the  legal  barbarisms  still  remaining  on  the  statute 
books,  and  adhered  to  by  the  common  law,  in  regard  to 
wives  and  mothers  ?  Is  the  current  of  progress  to  flow  by 
them  for  ever,  bearing  no  reforms  which  shall  affect  them  ? 
Do  not  misunderstand  me.  I  am  no  advocate  of  the  practices 
of  the  '  strong-minded  women/  who  hold  their  conventions 
and  public  meetings,  who  unsex  themselves  by  mounting  the 
forum,  and,  throwing  off  the  retiring  modesty  of  the  true 
woman,  seek  to  secure  notoriety  at  the  price  of  popular  con- 
tempt. But  there  are  evils  which  bear  heavily,  too  heavily, 
upon  the  women  even  of  this  country,  and  which,  for  the  credit 
of  the  civilization  of  the  age,  should  be  corrected.  As  calm- 
minded,  philanthropic  men,  we,  the  American  people,  should 
look  into  this  subject,  and,  regardless  of  jeer  and  scoff,  do 
what  justice,  humanity,  and  the  right  demand  of  Us,  in 
regard  to  some  of  the  social  and  legal  inequalities  between 
the  sexes,  pertaining  to  the  married  state." 

"  It  is  one  of  the  mysteries  of  our  system  of  jurisprudence," 
replied  Spalding,  "  that  while  everything  else  is  on  the  move, 


246  LOVE   OF   ANCIENT  MAXIMS. 

while  progress  is  written  in  letters  of  living  light  upon  all 
other  things,  that  remains  stationary — at  least  in  a  com- 
parative sense.  The  world  moves  on,  civilization  advances, 
science  and  the  arts  stride  forward,  but  the  law  stands  still. 
A  principle  which  may  have  been  somewhat  changed,  modi- 
fied, bent,  if  you  please,  into  an  adaptation  to  the  exigencies 
of  the  present,  and  a  fitness  for  the  changed  circumstances 
of  the  times  in  which  we  live,  is  suddenly  thrown  back  into 
its  old  position  by  the  exhumation  of  some  '  decision '  from 
the  dust  of  ages,  made  by  some  judge  away  back  in  the 
olden  tunes,  resurrected  by  the  research  of  some  antiquarian 
lawyer,  who  loves  to  delve  among  the  rubbish  of  past  genera- 
tions. The  learning,  the  wisdom,  the  philosophy  of  the  pre- 
sent is  discarded,  and  the  spirits  of  a  lower  civilization  are  con- 
jured from  the  darkness  of  vanished  centuries,  to  settle  rules 
for  the  government  of  commerce,  personal  conduct,  and  the 
social  relations  of  the  times  in  which  we  live.  There  seems 
to  be  something  paradoxical  in  the  idea  that  the  older  the 
decision  the  better  the  law — the  more  ancient  the  commen- 
tator, the  profounder  the  wisdom  of  his  axioms.  This  might 
be  well,  were  it  true  that  civilization  is  '  progressing  back- 
wards,' the  science  of  government  retrograding.  In  that 
case,  it  would  of  course  be  true,  that  the  nearer  you  ap- 
proach the  fountain,  the  purer  the  stream  would  be.  But 
such  is  not  the  fact.  In  all  these  attributes  the  world  is  on 
the  advance,  the  science  of  government  progressive  ;  and  to 
make  the  wisdom  of  centuries  ago  override  the  wisdom,  or 
overshadow  the  light  of  the  present,  is  a  paradox  peculiar 


ANECDOTE   OF   WILLIAM   WTET.  247 

to  our  system  of  jurisprudence.  There  are  lawyers  and 
judges,  who  enjoy  a  high  reputation,  whose  fame  rests  upon 
their  profound  research  among  the  worm-eaten  tomes  of 
black-letter  law,  and  whose  glory  consists  in  their  familiarity 
with  the  opinions  and  axioms  of  men  who  lived  and  died  so 
long  ago  that  their  very  tombs  are  forgotten.  This  class  of 
lawyers  and  jurists  hold  in  contempt  all  the  learning,  the 
philosophy,  the  practical  wisdom  of  the  present — rejecting 
everything  that  is  not  bearded  and  hoary  with  age.  Seated 
in  their  libraries,  in  the  midst  of  their  ponderous  octavos, 
their  Roman  and  black-letter  volumes,  they  reject  with  dis- 
dain the  commentators,  the  opinions  of  the  jurists  of  the  pre- 
sent century  ;  and  brushing  away  the  cobwebs  and  dust 
from  the  covers  of  their  treasured  relics  of  bygone  ages,  they 
clasp  them  in  a  loving  embrace  close  to  their  hearts,  ex- 
claiming, '  These  are  my  jewels.'  Whatever  has  not  the 
sanction  of  ancient  authority,  is  folly  to  them — worse  than 
folly,  for  it  is  innovation,  and  that  is  rank  impiety. 

"I  remember  an  anecdote  of  the  celebrated  WILLIAM 
WIRT,  related  to  show  how  ready  his  mind  was,  how  instant 
in  activity,  and  how  suddenly  it  would  flash  with  an  elo- 
quence, superior  to  that  exhibited  by  the  most  elaborate 
preparation.  He  was  arguing  a  cause  before  the  Supreme 
Court  of  the  United  States,  and  laid  down,  as  the  basis 
of  his  argument,  a  principle  to  which  he  desired  to  call 
the  particular  attention  of  the  judges.  The  opposing  counsel 
interrupted  him,  calling  for  the  authority  sustaining  his 
principle, — '  The  book — the  book  V  demanded  his  adversary. 


248  COMMON   LAW   PROGRESSIVE. 

'  Sir,  and  your  honors/  Baid  WIRT,  straightening  himself 
up  to  his  full  height,  '  I  am  not  bound  to  grope  my  way 
among  the  ruins  of  antiquity,  to  stumble  over  obsolete 
statutes,  or  delve  in  black  letter  law,  in  search  of  a  prin- 
ciple written  in  living  letters  upon  the  heart  of  every  man.' 
If  the  idea  contained  in  this  answer  of  WIRT,  were  more 
fully  appreciated  by  our  modern  jurists,  it  would  be  all  the 
better  for  the  country. 

"  The  common  law  is  said  to  be  the  perfection  of  reason. 
This  is  doubtless  true,  but  it  is  the  perfection  of  the  reason 
of  the  present,  as  well  as  of  the  past.  Its  principles  are 
elastic,  suiting  themselves  to  the  civilization  of  all  ages. 
They  are  progressive,  keeping  pace  with  the  progress  of 
all  times.  They  are  not  immutable,  save  in  the  element 
of  right,  and  they  therefore  shape  themselves  to  all 
circumstances,  moving  along  with  the  onward  march  of 
trade,  the  commerce,  the  social  relations,  and  business  of 
the  people.  The  learning  of  to-day,  the  wisdom,  the  phi- 
losophy of  to-day  is  profounder  than  that  of  any  preceding 
century,  and  it  is  folly  to  overthrow  it  by,  or  compel  it 
to  give  place  to,  the  learning,  the  wisdom,  the  philosophy 
of  departed  and  ruder  ages. 

"  In  regard  to  your  question,  whether  there  is  not  some 
relaxation  of  the  law  necessary,  in  vindication  of  the  civili- 
zation of  the  age,  against  the  legal  barbarisms  remaining 
upon  the  statute  book,  and  in  the  common  law  in  regard 
to  our  wives,  I  answer  frankly  that  I  do  not  know  about 
that.  The  law,  as  you  read  it  in  Blackstone,  and  as  you 


LEGAL  POSITION   OF  WOMEN.  249 

expounded  it  to  your  wife,  on  your  fishing  excursion,  has 
been  somewhat  modified.  Wives  have  been  given  a  status 
by  modern  legislation  ;  and  a  woman,  by  becoming  a  wife, 
does  not  now  cease  to  be  a  legal  entity.  The  law  permits 
her  to  retain  and  control  her  property  irrespective  of  her 
husband,  and  she  has,  therefore,  thus  far,  ceased  to  be 
'nobody.'  But  my  private  opinion  is,  that,  as  a  general 
thing,  the  women  of  this  country  get  along  very  well,  even 
under  the  pressure  of  the  '  barbarisms '  of  which  you  speak. 
They  manage,  one  way  and  another,  to  get  the  upper  hand 
of  their  legal  lords,  law  or  no  law.  If  their  existence,  in 
the  light  of  authority,  is  'less  than  a  legal  fiction,'  they 
come  to  be  regarded,  or  make  themselves  felt  in  the  world 
as  practical  facts.  They  are  quite  as  apt  to  be  at  the 
top,  as  at  the  bottom  of  the  ladder,  notwithstanding  what 
'BLACKSTONE  says'  about  their  legal  position.  There  is, 
doubtless,  a  good  deal  of  abuse  of  authority  on  the  part 
of  husbands,  but  the  women  get  their  slj^re  of  the  good 
that  is  going  in  the  world,  as  a  general  thing.  If  the 
law  is  against  them,  they  manage  to  usurp  full  an  even 
amount  of  privilege  and  authority,  and  keep  along  about 
in  line  with  the  other  sex.  I  never  knew  an  out  and  out 
controversy  between  a  man  and  his  wife,  in  which  the 
former  did  not  get  the  worst  of  it  in  the  end;  and  as  to 
the  impositions,  which  as  a  melancholy  truth  are  too  fre- 
quent, they  are  about  as  much  on  one  side  as  the  other. 
It  is  not  to  legal  enactments  that  we  must  look  for  the 
cure  of  unhappiness  incident  to  the  married  state,  but 

11* 


250  EMANCIPATION  OF  WOMEN. 

to  a  reform  in  temper  and  habits  of  life.  Besides,  I  do 
not  believe  the  wives  of  this  country  would  accept  of  a 
strict  legal  equality  at  all,  if  it  were  tendered  them  as  a 
FINALITY.  I  believe  they  would  prefer  remaining  as  they 
are ;  for  by  being  so,  they  are  left  to  the  resources  of 
their  own  genius,  to  win  by  their  tact,  what  is  not  guaran- 
teed by  law.  I  know  that  there  are  a  good  many  crazy- 
headed  people  in  pantaloons  as  well  as  petticoats,  who 
go  about  laboring  for  the  'emancipation  of  women,'  as  if 
the  heavens  and  earth  were  coming  together.  But  those 
of  them  who  wear  skirts,  generally  have  delicate  white 
hands,  flowing  curls,  flashing  black  eyes,  and  the  gift  of 
oratory — and  a  desire  to  exhibit  them  all ;  while  those  in 
pantaloons  have  their  hair  combed  smoothly  back,  as  if 
preparing  to  be  swallowed  by  a  boa-constrictor,  wear  white 
cravats,  talk  softly,  and  show  a  good  deal  of  the  whites 
of  their  eyes,  from  a  chronic  habit  of  looking  up  towards 
the  moon  and^jitars.  As  a  general  thing,  these  latter  are 
of  no  practical  use  in  the  world,  and  make  as  good  a  tail 
to  the  kite  of  the  '  strong-minded  women '  as  anything  else. 
But  these  people  represent  a  very  small  portion  of  the 
American  women,  and  until  the  masses  demand  'emanci- 
pation,' I  rather  think  that  matters  had  better  be  permitted 
to  remain  as  they  are.  The  women  will  take  care  of  them- 
selves— no  fear  of  that." 


CHAPTER    XXII. 

A  BEAUTIFUL   FLOWER — A   NEW  LAKE — A  MOOSE HIS   CAPTURE 

— A    SUMPTUOUS   DINNER. 

WE  started  the  next  morning  on  an  exploring  voyage 
up  the  right-hand  stream,  which  enters  this  beautiful  lake 
some  half  a  mile  west  of  the  one  we  had  looked  into  the 
day  before.  On  either  hand,  as  we  passed  along  the  narrow 
channel,  was  a  natural  meadow,  covered  with  a  luxuriant 
growth  of  rank  grass  and  weeds,  conspicuous  among  which 
was  a  beautiful  flower,  the  like  of  which  I  have  never  seen 
anywhere  else.  I  am  no  botanist,  and  therefore  cannot 
describe  it  in  the  language  of  the  florist,  so  that  the  learned 
in  that  beautiful  science  might  classify  it.  It  resembles 
somewhat  the  wild  lily  in  shape,  growing  upon  a  tall, 
strong  stem,  almost  like  the  stem  of  the  flag.  The  flower 
itself  is  double,  and  its  deep  crimson — the  deepest  almost  of 
any  flower  I  have  ever  seen — shone  conspicuously,  as  it 
waved  gracefully  in  the  breeze  above  the  surrounding  vege- 
tation. It  has  one  defect,  however;  it  is  without  fragrance, 

261 


252  A   NEW   LAKE   DISCOVERED. 

I  infer  from  the  fact  that  its  roots  spread  far  out  every 
way,  and  reach  down  into  the  water  beneath,  that  it  can 
hardly  be  transferred  to  the  garden,  or  become  civilized. 
It  would  be  a  great  acquisition  to  the  collection  of  the 
florist  if  it  could,  for  I  know  of  no  flower  that  excels  it 
in  richness  of  color,  gracefulness  of  appearance,  or  in  gor- 
geousness  of  beauty. 

We  saw  abundance  of  deer  feeding  quietly  upon  the 
narrow  meadows,  and  upon  the  lily  pads  on  our  way. 
We  had  no  inclination  to  injure  them,  and  we  let  them 
feed  on.  Some  of  them  were  hugely  astonished,  however, 
at  our  presence,  and  dashed  away,  whistling  and  snorting, 
into  the  forest.  Two  miles  from  the  lake,  we  came  to  a 
rocky  barrier,  down  which  the  stream,  came  rushing  and 
roaring,  for  fifty  or  sixty  rods,  in  a  descent  of  perhaps  sixty 
feet  in  all.  Around  these  rapids  the  boats  were  carried, 
and  we  found,  above  them,  the  water  deep  and  sluggish, 
flowing  through  a  dense  forest,  the  tall  trees  on  the  banks 
stretching  their  leafy  arms  across  the  narrow  channel,  form- 
ing above  it  an  arch  delightfully  cool,  through  which  the 
sunlight  could  scarcely  penetrate.  We  followed  this  chan- 
nel a  long  way,  when  we  came  to  a  little  lake  or  pond, 
four  or  five  miles  in  circumference.  It  was  a  perfect  gem, 
laying  there  all  alone,  so  calm,  so  lovely  in  its  solitude, 
with  no  sign  of  civilization  around  it,  no  sound  of  civili- 
zation startling  its  echoes  from  their  sleep  of  ages,  no 
human  voice  having  perhaps  ever  been  heard  upon  its  shore 
since  the  red  man  departed  from  the  hunting-ground  of 


MOOSE   TRACKS.  253 

his  fathers.  The  shores  all  around  it  were  bold  and  rocky, 
save  on  the  western  side,  where  a  broad  sandy  beach,  of 
a  quarter  of  a  mile  in  extent,  lay  between  the  water  and 
the  shadow  of  the  deep  forest  beyond.  A  solitary  island 
of  half  a  dozen  acres,  covered  with  majestic  pines  and  tall, 
straight  spruce  trees,  rises  near  the  centre  of  the  lake, 
adding  a  new  charm  to  its  quiet  beauty.  The  waters  of 
this  little  lake  are  clearer  and  more  transparent  than  those 
of  any  other  we  had  seen  ;  we  could  see  the  white  shells 
on  its  sandy  bottom,  fifteen  feet  below  the  surface.  This 
peculiarity  induced  us  to  believe  that  we  were  above  the 
stratum  of  iron  ore  which  seems  to  underlay  most  of  this 
wild  region,  coloring,  while  it  does  not  render  impure,  the 
waters  of  most  of  these  lakes  and  rivers.  I  have  frequently, 
in  my  wanderings  in  these  northern  wilds,  stumbled  upon 
outcropping  orebeds,  which,  were  they  nearer  market,  or 
more  accessible  to  the  energy  and  enterprise  of  the  American 
people,  would  be  capable  of  building  up  gigantic  fortunes, 
but  they  are  all  valueless  here,  and  probably  will  continue 
so  for  generations  to  come. 

We  saw  the  fresh  tracks  of  a  moose  on  the  sandy  beach, 
tracks  that  had  been  made  that  morning,  and  we  concluded 
to  spend  the  day  here,  in  the  hope  of  securing  one  of  these 
gigantic  deer.  We  rowed  to  the  island,  intending  to  encamp 
there.  We  entered  a  little  bay,  of  half  an  acre,  the  points 
forming  it  coming  within  a  few  yards  of  each  other,  and  the 
branches  of  the  trees  intertwining  their  long  arms  lovingly 
above.  As  we  landed,  our  dogs  began  nosing  and  dashing 


254  CHAsmo  THE  MOOSE. 

about,  as  if  suddenly  roused  into  excitement  by  the  hot 
scent  of  some  animal  that  had  been  disturbed  by  our  com- 
ing. They  broke  into  a  simultaneous  cry,  and  plunged  like 
mad  into  the  thicket.  We  pushed  our  boat  back  towards 
the  open  water,  when  we  heard  the  plunge  of  some  animal 
into  the  lake,  on  the  other  side  of  the  island.  Martin,  who 
was  in  the  leading  boat  with  me,  by  a  few  vigorous  pulls  at 
the  oar,  rounded  the  point  between  us  and  the  spot  where 
we  had  heard  the  plunge,  and  there,  not  ten  rods  from  the 
shore,  making  for  the  mainland,  was  the  game  which,  of 
all  others,  we  most  desired  to  see. 

"A  moose!  by  Moses!"  exclaimed  Martin,  hi  huge  excite- 
ment. "Hurrah!  hurrah!  A  moose!  he's  ours!  he  can't 
escape!"  and  away  he  dashed  in  pursuit.  The  other  boats 
now  hove  in  sight,  and  a  loud  hurrah!  went  up  from  each, 
when  they  saw  the  nature  of  the  game  that  had  been 
started.  There  was  no  difficulty  in  overtaking  the  animal, 
desperate  as  were  his  efforts  to  escape.  We  shot  past  him, 
and  turned  him  back  in  a  direction  towards  the  island  again, 
and  I  picked  up  my  rifle  to  settle  the  matter. 

"Don't  shoot  him,"  said  Martin;  "don't  shoot  him  yet; 
he  can't  get  away,  and  if  you  kill  him,  he'll  sink;  and  if  he 
don't,  we  can't  get  him  into  the  boat.  Let  us  drive  him 
back  to  the  island."  The  other  boats  were,  by  this  tune, 
up  with  us,  every  man  in  a  wild  state  of  excitement,  eager 
to  be  first  in  at  the  death.  We  had  headed  the  aniuial 
towards  the  island,  with  our  three  boats  so  arranged,  as 
that  he  could  swim  in  no  other  direction,  without  running 


MY   FIRST   MOOSE   8LAHST.  255 

one  of  them  down.  The  dogs  had  started  a  deer  that  had 
taken  to  the  water,  on  the  other  side  of  the  island. 

"Look  here!"  said  I;  "gentlemen,  this  game  is  mine.  I 
claim  him  by  right  of  discovery,  and  my  right  must  not  be 
interfered  with." 

"Very  well,"  the  Doctor  answered,  "we'll  only  take  a 
hand  in  his  capture  if  he's  likely  to  escape.  So,  go  ahead." 

As  we  came  within  a  few  yards  of  the  shore,  and  we  could 
see  that  the  animal's  hoofs  touched  the  bottom,  I  aimed 
carefully  at  his  head,  and  fired.  He  made  one  desperate 
lunge  forward,  and  turned  over  on  his  side,  dying  with 
scarcely  a  struggle,  the  ball  having  passed  directly  through 
his  brain. 

This  was  the  first  and  only  live  moose  I  have  ever  seen. 
He  was  not  a  large  one,  being,  probably,  a  three-year-old, 
but  well-grown.  We  should  have  called  him  a  monster, 
had  we  not,  before  that  time,  seen  in  various  museums  the 
stuffed  skins  of  those  a  quarter  or  a  third  larger.  He 
would  have  weighed,  as  shot,  probably  between  five  and  six 
hundred  pounds.  He  had  made  this  solitary  island  his  home, 
as  we  ascertained  by  his  spoor  and  other  signs  that  we 
found  upon  subsequent  explorations.  We  saw  his  bed  but 
a  few  rods  from  where  we  landed,  and  from  which  our  dogs 
had  aroused  him,  though  they,  in  their  excitement,  had  over- 
run his  scent,  and  dashed  off  after  a  deer. 

We  had  now  accomplished  one  of  the  objects  of  our  jour- 
ney in  this  direction,  and  as  the  law  we  had  imposed  upon 
ourselves  had  reached  its  limits,  prohibiting  our  shooting 


256  ROASTING   OUR   GAME. 

another  moose  that  day,  even  should  an  opportunity  occur, 
we  concluded  to  return  to  our  shanty,  on  the  lake  below. 
We,  therefore,  dressed  our  moose,  and  taking  with  us  the 
skin  and  hind  quarters,  started  down  stream  to  a  late  dinner 
on  Little  Tupper's  Lake.  Indeed,  there  was  a  sort  of  neces- 
sity for  our  doing  BO.  We  had  left  our  provisions  there, 
calculating  to  return  in  the  afternoon,  not  having  taken 
with  us  even  pepper  or  salt,  wherewith  to  season  the  food 
which,  upon  constraint,  we  might  cook  during  our  absence. 
A  few  crackers,  in  the  pockets  of  each,  was  all,  in  the  pro- 
vision line,  that  we  had  provided  ourselves  with,  and  though, 
when  we  saw  the  moose-tracks  in  the  sand,  we  had  concluded 
to  rough  it,  for  a  single  night,  for  the  chance  of  securing 
such  rare  game,  yet  having  secured  it,  that  part  of  our  mis- 
sion was  accomplished,  and  we  turned  towards  home. 

On  our  return  to  the  lake,  Spalding  and  myself  rowed 
across  to  the  mouth  of  a  cold  brook,  to  procure  a  supply  of 
fresh  trout,  upon  which,  with  our  moose  and  bear-meat,  to 
dine.  This  we  soon  accomplished,  and  on  our  arrival  home, 
we  found  huge  pieces  of  moose  and  bear  roasting  before  a 
blazing. fire.  The  meat  was  supported  upon  long  sticks,  one 
end  of  which  was  sharpened,  and  the  meat  spitted  upon  it, 
and  the  other  thrust  into  the  ground,  in  a  slanting  direction, 
so  as  to  bring  the  roasting  pieces  into  a  proper  position 
before  the  fire.  The  meat  was  removed  occasionally,  and 
turned,  until  the  roasting  process  was  completed,  and  the  i 
served  up  on  clean  birch  bark,  just  peeled  from  the  trees,  in 
the  place  of  platters.  We  had  tin  plates,  knives,  and  forks, 


A   HOME   IN   THE   FOREST.  257 

with  us,  also  a  tea-kettle,  tin  cups,  and  tea  of  the  choicest 
quality,  sugar,  pepper,  salt,  and  pork.  The  man  who  can- 
not make  a  meal  where  the  viands  present  are  moose-meat, 
bear,  jerked  venison,  fresh  trout,  and  pork,  and  for  drink 
the  best  of  tea  and  the  purest  and  coldest  spring  water,  had 
better  keep  out  of  the  Eackett  woods. 

The  people,  whoever  they  were,  who  prepared  the  camp 
in  which  we  were  domiciled,  had  an  eye  to  convenience  and 
comfort.  The  shanty  was  built  of  logs,  on  three  sides,  the 
crevices  between  which  were  filled  with  moss,  and  the  slo- 
ping roof  neatly  covered  with  bark,  in  layers,  like  an  old- 
fashioned  roof,  covered  with  split  shingles.  The  front  was 
open,  and  directly  before  it  was  a  rough  fire-place,  with 
jams,  made  of  small  boulders,  laid  up  with  clay,  regularly- 
fashioned,  as  if  intended  for  a  kitchen.  This  fire-place  was 
three  or  four  feet  high,  and  served  an  excellent  purpose, 
with  reference  to  our  cookery,  and  the  lighting  of  our  shan- 
ty at  night.  It  served,  also,  to  conduct  the  smoke  upward, 
and  prevented  it  from  being  blown  into  our  faces,  as  we  sat 
in  front,  at  once,  of  our  sleeping-place  and  our  camp-fire. 
The  only  things  that  reminded  us  of  civilization,  aside  from 
what  we  carried  with  us,  were  the  innumerable  crickets  that, 
through  all  the  night,  kept  up  their  chirruping  in  the  cre- 
vices of  this  rude  fireplace.  There  was  something  old-fash- 
ioned and  sociable  in  their  song.  These,  with  the  shrill 
notes  of  the  little  peepers  along  the  shore,  were  old  sounds 
to  us,  familiar  voices,  and  they  fell  pleasantly  on  the  ear. 
We  had  finished  our  meal,  and  taken  to  our  pipes  in  the 


258  SEABCH  FOB  A   PEEPEB. 

evening,  as  the  sun  went  down  among  the  old  forests,  away 
off  in  the  west.  The  greyness  of  twilight  came  stealing  over 
the  water,  and  grew  into  darkness  in  the  beautiful  valley 
where  that  lake  lay  sleeping.  The  stars  stole  out  silently, 
and  set  their  watch  in  the  sky,  and  calmness  and  repose 
rested  upon  everything  around  us. 

"  I  remember,"  said  Smith,  "  the  first  year  that  I  was  in 
college,  of  hearing  two  learned  professors  disputing  about 
what  sort  of  animal  it  w^s  that  made  the  piping  noise 
we  hear  in  the  marshy  places,  and  stagnant  pools,. in  the 
spring  time,  usually  known  as  peepers.  One  insisted  that  it 
was  a  newt,  or  small  lizard;  and  I  remember  that  he  went 
to  his  library,  and  brought  a  volume  which  proved  his 
theory  to  be  correct.  The  other  denied  the  authority  of 
the  author,  and  insisted  that  the  peeper  was  a  frog.  The 
discussion  excited  my  curiosity,  and  I  made  up  my  mind  to 
satisfy  myself  on  the  subject,  if  possible,  by  occular  demon- 
stration. There  was  a  small  marshy  place,  half  a  mile,  or 
so,  from  the  college  grounds,  from  which  I  had  heard,  in  my 
walks,  the  music  of  the  peepers  coming  up  every  evening,  hi 
a  loud  and  joyous  chorus.  I  watched  by  it  a  number  of 
evenings,  and  though  there  were  a  plenty  of  peepers,  piping 
merrily  enough,  yet  I  could  not  get  sight  of  one  to  save  me. 
I  began  to  think  it  was  a  myth,  the  viewless  spirit  of  the 
bog,  that  made  all  the  noises  about  which  the  learned  pro- 
fessors had  been  disputing.  At  last,  however,  I  got  sight 
of  a  peeper,  caught  him  in  the  act,  and  saw  that  it  was,  in 
fact,  a  little  frog,  nothing  more,  nothing  less.  He  was  not 


A   CONTRIBUTION   TO   KNOWLEDGE.  259 

more  than  three  feet  from  me,  and  though,  when  I  moved, 
he  hid  himself  in  the  muddy  water,  yet  I  managed  to  cap- 
ture and  take  him  home  alive.  He  was  a  little  animal,  cer- 
tainly, not  larger  than  a  half-dollar  piece,  and,it  was  mar- 
vellous how  a  thing  so  small  could  make  such  a  loud  and 
piercing  noise.  I  took  him  to  my  room,  and  placed  him  in 
a  water-tight  box,  in  which  I  fashioned  an  artificial  bog,  in 
the  hope  that  he  would  confirm  my  testimony  by  his  piping. 
The  second  evening,  as  I  sat  in  my  room,  poring  over  the 
recitations  of  the  morrow,  he  lifted  up  his  voice,  loud,  shrill, 
and  clear,  as  when  singing  in  his  native  marsh.  I  hurried, 
in  triumph,  to  the  learned  disputants  about  his  identity,  and 
in  their  presence,  he  furnished  unanswerable  evidence  that 
the  peeper  was  a  frog,  and  not  a  newt.  I  was  complimented 
by  both  the  learned  pundits,  as  though  I  had  added  a  great 
item  to  the  aggregate  of  human  knowledge." 

"  You  did  do  a  great  thing,  my  friend,"  said  Spalding, 
"  you  solved  a  mystery  about  which  men,  wise  in  the  learn- 
ing of  the  books,  had  perhaps  been  disputing  for  centuries. 
What  are  the  peepers  ?  asked  the  naturalist,  who  listened  to 
their  piping  notes  from  the  marshy  places  in  the  spring 
time.  It  was  a  matter  of  small  practical  importance,  what 
they  were.  Still  it  was  a  question  which  MIND  wanted  to 
have  .solved.  Its  solution  would  do  no  great  amount  of 
good  to  the  world.  But  then  it  was  a  mystery  which  it  was 
the  business  of  mind  to  lay  bare  ;  and  what  more  has  sci- 
ence done  in  tracing  the  history  and  progress  of  this  earth 
of  ours,  as  written  upon  the  rocks,  among  which  geology 


260  FACT   STRONGER   THAN   THEORY. 

has  been  so  long  delving  ?  '  What  are  the  peepers  ? ' 
asked  the  naturalist.  '  They  are  newts,  little  lizards,' 
answers  a  learned  pundit.  '  They  are  spirits  of  the  bog, 
myths,  that  hold  their  carnival  in  the  early  grass  of  the 
marshy  pools,'  says  the  theorist  and  poet,  who  believes  in  the 
idealities  of  a  poetic  fancy.  '  They  are  frogs,'  says  a  third, 
who  is  ready  to  chop  any  amount  of  logic  in  favor  of  his 
system  of  frogology,  and  hereupon  columns  of  argument,  and 
pages  of  learned  discussion,  have  been  held  over  the  identity 
of  the  jolly  peepers  of  the  spring-time. 

"  But  you  discarded  logic,  threw  away  argument,  and  came 
down  to  the  sure  demonstrations  of  sober  fact.  You  watched 
by  the  marshy  pool,  and  caught  the  '  peeper '  in  the  act, 
took  him  '  in  flagrante,  delicto,'  as  the  lawyers  say,  and  thus 
ended  the  theoretical  discussion  about  the  '  peepers.'  You 
placed  another  fixed  fact  upon  the  page  of  natural  history. 

"  And  how  often  has  the  wisdom  of  the  schools,  the  philo- 
sophy of  the  profoundest  theorists,  been  overthrown  by  the' 
simple  demonstrations  of  practical  facts  ?  For  a  thousand 
years  the  world  was  hi  pursuit  of  the  giant  power  that  lay  hid- 
den in  heated  vapor,  the  steam  that  came  floating  up  from 
boiling  water.  That  power  eluded  the  grasp  and  baffled  the 
research  of  human  genius,  which  was  looking  so  earnestly 
after  it,  until  ingenuity  gave  it  up,  and  philosophy  pro- 
nounced it  a  delusion.  Not  far  from  the  beginning  of  the 
present  century,  practical  experiment  began  to  develop  the 
mysterious  power  of  steam.  Rudely  and  imperfectly  har- 
nessed, at  first,  it  still  made  the  great  wheel  revolve,  and 


PHILOSOPHY   BEFUTED.  261 

men  talked  about  making  it  a  great  motor  for  mechanical 
purposes.  Philosophy  volunteered  its  demonstrations  of  the 
absolute  impossibility  of  such  a  thing.  Still  human  inge- 
nuity felt  its  way  carefully  onward,  until  the  great  fact  was 
developed,  that  steam  was  in  truth  capable  of  moving  ma- 
chinery, was  endowed  almost  with  vitality,  and  could  be 
made  to  throw  the  shuttle  and  spin.  Ingenious  men  hinted 
that  it  might  be  made  to  propel  water-craft  in  the  place  of 
wind  and  sails,  and  thus  be  harnessed  into  the  service  of 
commerce,  as  it  had  already  been  into  that  of  manufactures. 
Here  again  philosophy  interposed  its  axioms,  and  declared 
the  scheme  among  the  wild  vagaries  of  a  distempered  fancy. 
But  years  rolled  on,  and  the  tall  ship  that  swung  out  upon 
the  broad  ocean,  and  moved  forward  when  the  air  was  still 
and  calmness  was  on  the  face  of  the  deep,  forward  in  the  eye 
of  the  wind — forward  in  the  teeth  of  the  storm,  that  stopped 
not  for  billow  or  blast,  gave  the  lie  to  philosophy,  and  scat- 
tered the  theory  of  the  wise  like  chaff. 

"The  lightning,  that  fierce  spirit  of  the  storm,  that  darted 
down  on  its  mission  of  destruction  from  the  black  cloud 
floating  in  the  sky,  became  a  thing  of  interest  to  the  mechan- 
ical world,  and  the  question  was  asked,  '  Why  cannot  the 
lightning  be  harnessed  into  the  service  of  man,  and  be  made 
utilitarian  ?'  Philosophy  sneered  at  the  wild  delusion,  but 
see  how  that  same  subtle  and  mysterious  agency  has  been 
conquered  ?  Note  how  truthfully  it  carries  every  word  in- 
trusted to  its  charge,  along  thousands  of  miles  of  the  tele- 
graph wire,  with  a  speed,  in  comparison  with  which,  sound 


MODERN   RESEARCH  FOB  THE   PRACTICAL. 


is  a  laggard,  a  speed  that  annihilates  alike  space  and  time. 
Men  looked  into  a  mirror,  and  seeing  their  own  counterpart, 
a  fac-simik  of  themselves  reflected  there,  began  to  ask, 
'  Why  may  not  that  shadow  be  fixed  ;  fastened  in  some 
way,  to  remain  upon  the  polished  surface  that  gives  it  back, 
even  after  the  original  may  be  mouldering  in  the  grave  ? ' 
Here  again  philosophy  laid  its  finger  upon  its  nose,  and 
winked  facetiously,  as  if  it  had  found  a  new  subject  for  ridi- 
cule, in  the  stupendous  folly  of  such  an  inquiry.     But  from 
that  simple  question,  rose  up  the  Daguerreian  art  ;  an  art 
which  fixes  upon  metallic  plates,  upon  paper,  the  shadow  of  a 
man,  of  palace  and  cottage,  of  mountain  and  field,  giving 
thus  a  picture  ten  thousand  times  truer  to  nature  than  the 
pencil  of  the  cunningest  artist.     These  and  a  thousand  other 
mighty  triumphs  of  human  ingenuity  have  fought  their  way 
onward  to  their  present  position,  against  the  fogyism  of 
philosophy,  the  inertia  of  the  schoolmen.     They  have  been 
the  sequence  of  cold,  resistless  demonstrations  of  experiment 
and  fact.     The  world  would  stand  still  but  for  the  spirit  of 
research  for  the  practical ;  for  experimental,  and  not  theo- 
retical knowledge,  that  is  abroad.    It  is  this  spirit  that  moves 
the  world  in  all  its  present  matchless  career  of  progress,  and 
distinguishes  our  era  above  all  others  of  the  world's  exist- 
ence.    You  may  be  thankful,  my  friend,  that  you  have  been" 
able  to  add  another  fixed  fact  to  the  stock  of  human  know- 
ledge, even  though  it  be  only  that  the  '  peeper '  is  a  frog, 
and  not  a  '  newt '  or  a  '  myth.' 

"  But  who  would  suppose  that  such  a  tiny  little  frogling 


PAST   MEMOEJB8.  263 

could  make  such  a  loud,  shrill,  and  ear-piercing  sound  ? 
.Who  would  think  that  a  million  of  such  puny  things,  could 
make  the  air  of  a  summer  evening  so  full  of  the  music  of 
their  songs  ?  I  remember  how,  in  my  boyhood,  I  listened  to 
their  voices,  which  came  up  loudest,  shrillest,  merriest,  when 
twilight  was  spreading  its  grey  mantle  over  the  earth  ; 
while  the  song  of  the  birds  was  hushing  into  silence,  and 
the  coming  darkness  was  lulling  the  things  of  the  day  into 
repose  ;  Oh  1  how  merrily  they  sang  along  the  little  brook- 
let that  took  its  rise  in  a  spring  in  the  meadow,  and  wended 
its  way  among  the  young  grass,  just  springing  into  verdure, 
to  the  beautiful  lake  beyond.  Their  song  is  in  my  ear  now, 
and  that  meadow,  that  beautiful  lake,  the  tall  hills  on  the 
summits  of  which  the  departing  sunlight  lingered,  the  tall 
maples  that  clustered  in  their  conelike  beauty  around  that 
gushing  fountain,  the  clustered  plum  trees,  the  giant  oak, 
spared  by  the  woodman's  axe  when  the  old  forest  was 
swept  away,  the  fields,  the  '  Gulf  in  the  hill-side,  and  the 
beautiful  creek,  that  came  cascading  down  the  shelving 
rocks,  and  leaping  over  precipices  in  which  the  speckled 
trout  sported :  all  these  are  before  me  now — a  vision  of 
loveliness,  all  the  more  dear  because  stamped  upon  the 
memory  when  life  was  young.  Oh  1  Tune  I  Time  1  the 
wrecks  that  lie  scattered  in  thy  pathway  I  That  little 
brooklet,  and  the  peepers,  the  fountain,  the  maples,  and  the 
meadow,  are  all  gone.  The  brave  old  oak  was  riven  by  the 
lightning.  The  fields  have  crept  up  to  the  very  summit  of 
the  hills,  and  even  the  stream  that  came  down  from  the 


264  TIME'S  CHANGES. 

mountain  has  vanished  away,  save  when  the  rains,  or  the 
melting  snows  send  it  in  a  freshet  over  the  rocks  where, 
when  I  was  a  boy,  it  was  cascading  always.  That  beautiful 
meadow,  too,  is  gone,  and  the  streets  of  a  modern  village, 
with  blocks  of  houses,  and  stores,  and  shops,  occupy  the 
place  where  I  swung  my  first  scythe.  The  old  log-house 
vanished  years  and  years  ago.  A  steamboat  ploughs  its  way 
through  that  beautiful  lake,  and  the  things  of  my  boyhood 
are  but  visions  of  memory,  called  up  from  the  long,  long 
past.  Not  one  landmark  of  the  olden  time  remains.  Oh  ! 
Time  I  Time  I n 


CHAPTER    XXIII. 

THE    CRICKET    IN   THE   WALL — THE    MINISTER'S    ILLUSTRATION — 
OLD   MEMORIES. 

WE  spent  the  following  day  in  drifting  quietly  around  the 
lake,  floating  lazily  in  the  little  bays,  under  the  shadow  of 
the  tall  trees,  and  lounging  upon  small  islands,  gathering 
the  low-bush  whortleberries  which  grew  in  abundance  upon 
them.  We  filled  our  tin  pails  with  this  delicious  fruit  for  a 
dessert  for  our  evening  meal.  On  one  of  these  islands  we 
found  indications  of  its  being  inhabited  by  wood  rabbits,  and 
we  sent  Cullen  to  the  shanty  for  the  dogs  to  course  them, 
not  however  witn  any  intention  of  capturing  them,  but  to 
enjoy  the  music  of  the  chase,  and  hear  the  voices  of  the 
hounds  echoing  over  the  water.  We  landed  them  upon  the 
island,  and  began  beating  for  the  game.  The  hounds  under- 
standing that  their  business  was  the  pursuit  of  deer,  and 
having  hunted  the  island  over  thoroughly,  came  back  to  us, 
and  sat  quietly  down  upon  their  haunches,  as  much  as  to  say 
there  was  nothing  there  worth  looking  after.  But  we  had  seen 

12  2«« 


266  CULLEN    "8PKEAD8   HIMSELF." 

X 

one  of  the  little  animals  that  had  been  roused  from  its  bed  by 
the  dogs,  and  we  called  their  special  attention  to  the  fact  by 
leading  them  to  the  spot,  and  bidding  them  to  "  hunt  him 
up."  They  understood  our  meaning,  and  started  on  the  trail, 
with  a  loud  and  cheerful  cry.  For  half  an  hour,  they  coursed 
him  round  and  round  the  island,  making  the  lake  vocal  with 
their  merry  music.  We  might  haye  shot  the  game  they 
were  pursuing  fifty  times,  but  we  had  no  design  against  its 
life.  The  little  fellow  did  not  seem  to  be  greatly  alarmed, 
for  we  noted  him  often,  when  by  doubling  he  had  tempo- 
rarily thrown  off  the  dogs,  squat  himself  down,  and  throw  his 
long  ears  back  in  the  direction  of  the  sound  that  had  been 
pursuing  him  ;  and  when  the  dogs  straightened  upon  his  trail, 
and  approached  where  he  sat,  he  would  bound  nimbly  away 
among  the  thick  bushes  to  double  on  them  again. 

We  called  off  the  dogs  and  passed  on  to  float  along 
under  the  shadow  of  the  forest  trees  and  the  hills,  and  take 
an  occasional  trout  by  way  of  experiment  among  the  broken 
rocks  along  the  shore.  We  had  dispatched  Cullen  to  the 
shanty  to  prepare  dinner  for  us  by  six  o'clock,  at  which 
hour  we  were  to  be  at  home.  Cullen  had  promised,  to  use  his 
own  expression,  "  to  spread  himself"  in  the  preparation  of 
this  meal,  and  he  kept  his  promise.  On  our  return,  we  found 
a  sirloin  of  moose  roasted  to  a  turn,  a  stake  of  bear-meat 
broiled  on  the  coals,  a  stew  of  jerked  venison,  and  as  pleas- 
ant a  dish  of  fried  trout  and  pork  as  an  epicure  could  desire. 
Our  appetites  were  keen,  and  we  did  ample  justice  to  his 
cookery.  This  was  one  of  the  most  delightful  evenings 


MEMORIES   OF   THE   PAST.  267 

that  I  have  ever  spent  in  the  northern  woods.  There  was 
such  a  calm  resting  upon  all  things,  such  an  impress  of 
repose  upon  forest  and  lake,  such  a  cheerful  quiet  and 
serenity  all  around  us,  that  one  could  scarcely  refrain  from 
rejoicing  aloud  in  the  beauty  and  the  glory  of  the  hour.  As 
the  sun  sank  to  his  rest  behind  the  western  hills,  and  the 
twilight  began  to  gather  in  the  forest  and  over  the  lake,  the 
moon  rose  over  the  eastern  high  lands,  walking  with  a 
queenly  step  up  into  the  sky,  casting  a  long  line  of  brilliant 
light  across  the  waters,  showing  the  shadows  of  the  moun- 
tains in  bold  outline  in  the  depths  below,  and  paling  the 
stars  by  her  brightness  above.  We  all  felt  that  we  were 
recruiting  in  strength  so  rapidly  in  these  mountain  regions, 
where  the  air  was  so  bracing  and  pure,  under  the  influence 
of  exercise,  simple  diet,  natural  sleep,  and  the  absence  of 
the  labors  and  cares  of  business,  that  we  were  contented,  not- 
withstanding the  monotony  that  began  to  mark  our  every- 
day proceedings. 

"  I  have  been  listening,"  said  Spalding,  as  we  sat  upon  the 
rude  benches  in  front  of  our  camp-fire,  indulging  in  our  usual 
season  of  smoking  after  our  meals,  "  to  the  song  of  the 
crickets  in  those  rude  jams,  and  they  call  up  sad,  yet  pleasant 
memories  from  the  long  past  ;  of  the  old  log  house,  the  quiet 
fire-place,  the  crane  in  the  jam,  the  great  logs  blazing  upon 
the  hearth  of  a  cold  winter  evening,  the  house  dog  sleeping 
quietly  in  the  corner,  and  the  cat  nestled  confidingly  between 
his  feet.  Oh  !  the  days  of  old  1  the  days  of  old  I  These 
crickets  call  back  with  these  memories  the  circle  tha, 


268  THE   CKICKET   IN   THE   WALL. 

gathered  around  the  hearth  of  my  home,  when  I  was  young. 
Father,  mother,  brothers,  sisters,  playmates,  and  friends. 
How  quietly  some  of  them  grew  old  and  ripe,  and  then 
dropped  into  the  grave.  How  quietly  others  stole  away  in 
their  youth  to  the  home  of  the  dead,  and  how  the  rest  have 
drifted  away  on  the  currents  of  life  and  are  lost  to  me  in  the 
mists  and  shadows  of  tune.  Even  the  home  and  the  hearth 
are  gone  ;  they 

•Battled  with  time  and  slow  decay,' 

until  at  last  they  were  wiped  out  from  the  things  that  are. 
The  song  of  the  peepers  is  a  pleasant  memory,  and  comes 
welling  up  with  a  thousand  cherished  recollections  of  our 
vanished  youth. ;  but  the  song  of  the  cricket  that  made  its 
home  in  the  jams  of  the  great  stone  fire-place  is  pleasanter, 
and  the  memories  that  come  floating  back  with  his  remem- 
bered lay  are  pleasanter  still.  He  was  always  there.  He 
was  not  silent,  like  the  out-door  insect,  through  the  spring 
month  and  the  cold  of  winter,  piping  only  in  sadness  when 
the  still  autumnal  evenings  close  in  their  brightness  and 
beauty  over  the  earth  ;  but  he  sang  always,  and  his  chir- 
rup was  heard  at  all  seasons.  In  the  winter  the  fire  on  the 
hearth  warmed  him  ;  in  the  summer  he  had  a  cool  resting 
place,  and  he  was  cheerful  and  merry  through  all  the  long 
year.  And  this  reminds  me  of  an  anecdote  of  a  venerable 
minister,  who  passed  years  ago  to  his  rest.  He  was  a 
Scotchman,  and  when  preaching  to  his  own  congregation 
at  Salem,  in  Washington  county,  he  indulged  in  broad 


THE  MINISTER'S  ILLUSTRATION.  269 

Scotch,  which  to  those  who  were  accustomed  to  it  was 
exceedingly  pleasant.  I  was  a  boy  then,  and  was  return- 
ing with  my  father  from  a  visit  to  Vermont.  We  stopped 
over  the  Sabbath  at  Salem,  and  attended  worship  in  the 
neat  little  church  of  that  pleasant  village.  There  were  no 
railroads  in  those  days.  The  iron  horse  had  not  yet  made 
his  advent,  and  the  scream  of  the  steam  whistle  had  never 
startled  the  echoes  that  dwell  among  the  gorges  of  the 
Green  Mountain  State.  Oh  !  Progress  1  Progress  !  I  have 
travelled  that  same  route  often  since,  more  than  once  within 
the  year,  and  I  flew  over  in  an  hour  what  was  the  work  of 
all  that  cold  winter  day  that  brought  us  at  night  to  that 
neat  little  village  of  Salem.  I  thought,  as  I  dashed  with  a 
rush  over  the  road  I  once  travelled  so  leisurely,  how  change 
was  written  upon  everything  ;  how  time  and  progress  had 
obliterated  all  the  old  landmarks,  leaving  scarcely  anything 
around  which  memory  could  cling.  Well  1  well  I  it  is  so 
everywhere.  All  over  the  world,  change,  improvement, 
progress  are  the  words.  The  venerable  minister,  for  his 
locks  were  grey,  and  time  had  ploughed  deep  furrows  down 
his  cheeks,  and  drawn  palpable  lines  across  his  brow,  was, 
as  my  memory  paints  him,  the  personification  of  earnestness, 
sincerity  and  truth.  The  text  and  the  drift  of  the  sermon 
I  have  forgotten,  save  the  little  fragment  that  fixed  itself  in 
my  memory  by  the  singularity  of  the  figure  by  which  he 
illustrated  his  meaning.  He  was  speaking  of  the  operation 
of  the  Holy  Spirit  upon  the  human  heart,  and  how  gently  it 
won  men  from  their  sinful  ways.  He  said,  '  It  was  not 


270  "ONWAED!"  THE  WATCHWORD. 

boisterous,  like  the  rush  of  the  tempest ;  it  was  not  fierce, 
like  the  lightning  ;  it  was  not  loud,  like  the  thunder  ;  but  it 
was  a  still  sma'  voice,  like  a  wee  cricket  in  the  wa'a.'  I 
regard  the  cricket  that  chirruped  in  the  wall  as  an  institu- 
tion. One  of  the  past  to  be  sure,  swept  away  by  the  cur- 
rent of  progress,  whose  course  is  onward  always  ;  over 
everything,  obliterating  everything,  hurling  the  things  of  to- 
day into  history,  or  burying  them  in  eternal  oblivion.  In 
this  country  there  is  nothing  fixed,  nothing  stationary,  and 
never  has  been  since  the  first  white  man  swung  his  axe 
against  the  outside  forest  tree  ;  since  the  first  green  field 
was  opened  up  to  the  sunlight  from  the  deep  shadows  of  the 
old  forests  that  had  stood  there,  grand,  solemn,  and  bound- 
less since  this  world  was  first  thrown  from  the  hand  of  God. 
There  will  be  nothing  fixed  for  centuries  to  come.  The 
tide  of  progres  will  sweep  onward  in  the  future  as  it  has 
done  in  the  past.  Onward  is  the  great  watchword  of 
America,  and  American  institutions  ;  onward  and  onward, 
over  the  ancient  forests  ;  onward,  over  the  log-houses  that 
stood  in  the  van  of  civilization  ;  over  the  great  fire-places  ; 
over  the  cricket  in  the  wall ;  over  the  old  house  dog  that 
slept  in  the  corner  ;  over  the  loved  faces  that  clustered 
around  the  blazing  hearth  in  the  days  of  our  childhood  ; 
over  everything  primitive,  everything,  my  friends,  that  you 
and  I  loved  when  we  were  little  children,  and  that  comes 
drifting  along  down  on  the  current  of  memory — bright  visions 
of  the  returnless  past.  Ah,  well  !  it  is  best  that  it  should 
be  so.  It  is  best  that  the  world  should  move  on  ;  that 


RECUPERATION    STRONGER   THAN   DECAY.  271 

there  should  be  no  pause,  no  halting  in  the  onward  march. 
What  are  we  that  the  earth  should  stand  still  at  our  bid- 
ding, or  pause  to  contemplate  our  tears  ?  Dust  to  dust  is 
the  great  law,  but  so  long  as  a  phoenix  rises  from  the  ashes 
of  decay,  what  right  have  we  to  murmur  ?  Time  may  deso- 
late and  destroy,  but  man  can  build  up  and  beautify.  True, 
his  works  perish  as  he  perishes,  but  new  works  and  new  men 
are -rising  forever  to  fill,  and  more  than  fill,  the  vacancies 
and  desolations  of  the  past.  Go  ahead  then,  world  !  Sweep 
along,  Progress !  Mow  away,  Time  !  Tear  down  temple 
and  stronghold  ;  sweep  away  the  marble  palace  and  log- 
house  !  sweep  away  infancy  and  youth,  manhood  and  old 
age  ;  wipe  out  old  memories,  and  pass  the  sponge  over 
cherished  recollections.  The  energy  and  the  ingenuity  of 
man  are  an  over-match  even  for  time.  From  the  ruins  of  the 
past,  from  the  desolations  of  decay,  new  structures  will  rise, 
and  a  new  harvest,  more  abundant  than  the  old,  will  spring 
up  from  the  stubble  over  which  Time's  sickle  has  passed. 
Recuperation  is  a  law  stronger  than  decay,  and  it  is  written 
all  over  the  face  of  the  earth." 


CHAPTER   XXIV. 

THE    ACCIDENTS    OF    LIFE "  SOME    MEN   ACHIEVE    GREATNESS, 

AND    SOME    HAVE    GREATNESS    THRUST   UPON   THEM" A  SLIDE 

RATTLESNAKES     AT     THE     TOP   AND   AN     ICY    POOL   AT    THE 

BOTTOM — A   FANCIFUL  THEORY. 

WHILE  we  sat  thus  conversing,  our  boatmen  went  down 
along  the  beach,  and  around  a  little  point  that  ran  out  into 
the  lake,  to  bathe.  They  were  jolly,  but  uncultivated  men, 
given  to  rudeness  and  profanity  of  speech  when  out  of  our 
immediate  presence,  and  by  themselves,  and  we  heard  from 
them,  while  they  were  splashing  and  struggling  in  the  water, 
expressions  somewhat  inelegant  as  well  as  profane. 

"  I  have  often  thought,"  said  Spalding,  as  we  listened  to 
the  rude  and  sometimes  profane  speech  of  our  men,  "  how 
vast  the  influence  which  circumstances  or  accident,  over 
which  men  have  no  control,  have  upon  their  conduct  and 
destiny  in  this  world,  if  not  in  the  next.  The  poet  has  well 
said, 

272 


THE   ACCIDENTS   OF  LIFE.  273 

1  Full  many  a  gem  of  purest  ray  serene 

The  dark  unfathomed  caves  of  Ocean  bear ; 
And  many  a  flower  is  born  to  blush  unseen, 
And  waste  its  sweetness  on  the  desert  air.' 

"  These  rude  men  are  but  testifying  to  the  great  truth, 
that  man  is  the  creature,  in  a  greater  or  less  degree,  of  cir- 
cumstances ;  that  he  is  great  or  small,  polished  or  rude, 
wise  or  simple,  according  to  the  accident  of  his  birth,  or  the 
surroundings  in  the  midst  of  which  his  journey  of  life  lays. 
True,  there  are  intellects  that  will  work  themselves  into 
position,  men  who  will  hew  their  way  upward  in  spite  of  the 
difficulties  which  beset  them,  as  there  are  others  who  will 
plunge  down  to  degradation  and  dishonor,  in  defiance  of  ten- 
der rearing,  of  education,  of  association,  and  all  the  allure- 
ments to  an -upward  career  that  can  be  presented  to  the 
human  understanding.  But  these  are  so  rare,  that  they  may 
be  properly  regarded  as  exceptions  to  the  general  rule  ;  so 
rare,  indeed,  as  to  prove  its  truth.  You  and  I  can  look 
around  us,  and  from  among  our  acquaintances  select  many 
men  and  women,  whose  genius  and  solid  understanding,  and 
whose  virtues  too,  have  remained  undeveloped,  and  probably 
will  do  so  till  they  die,  from  lack  of  opportunity  for  their  ex- 
ercise. Accident  seems  to  have  stricken  them  from  their 
legitimate  sphere.  Circumstances,  for  which  they  were  not 
responsible,  and  over  which  they  could  exercise  no  control, 
have  barred  them  out  from  their  seeming  true  position  in 
the  world,  and  the  genius  which  was  intended  for  the  day- 
light and  the  eagle's  flight  towards  the  sun,  is  left  to  skim 

12* 


274  THE   ACCIDENTS   OF  LIFE. 

in  darkness  along  the  ground,  like  the  course  of  the  mousing 
owl.  We  have  all  seen  another  thing,  which  baffles  our 
philosophy,  while  it  proves  the  truth  of  the  theory  of  which 
I  am  speaking.  We  have  seen  men,  and  see  them  every 
day,  who,  from  no  quality  of  heart  or  mind  seem  fitted  to 
rise  in  the  world,  occupying  commanding  positions  to  which 
accident  has  lifted  them  ;  whose  genius  commands  no  admi- 
ration, whose  virtues  are  of  a  doubtful  character,  and  who 
possess  no  one  quality  which  entitles  them  to  our  respect  or 
the  respect  of  the  world.  As  the  former  are  the  victims  of 
circumstance,  these  latter  are  its  creatures.  Both  are  the 
sport  of  fortune  ;  the  one  class  its  victims,  and  the  other  its 
favorites.  How  is  all  this  to  be  accounted  for  ?  And  where 
rests  the  responsibility  of  failure,  and  where  the  credit  of 
success  ?  Are  there  accidents  floating  about  among  the 
paths  marked  out  on  the  chart  of  life  by  the  Deity,  which 
jostle  his  creatures  from  the  destiny  intended  for  them  ? 
Or  were  men  thrown  loose  upon  the  currents  of  life,  to  take 
their  chances  of  good  and  evil,  to  be  virtuous  or  vile, 
according  to  the  influences  among  which  they  were  floating, 
to  be  fortunate  or  otherwise,  as  the  means  of  advancing 
themselves  drifted  within  their  reach  ?  If  so,  where  rests 
the  responsibility,  I  ask  again,  of  failure,  and  where  the 
credit  of  success  ?  Children  are  born  into  the  world  under 
strangely  different  influences.  One  first  sees  the  light  in  the 
haunts  of  vice  and  crime,  amidst  the  corruptions  which  fester 
away  down  in  the  depths  of  a  great  city.  The  influences 
which  surround  it  are  only  and  always  evil.  They  are  such 


VITALITY   OF   THOUGHT   AND   EXPRESSION.  275 

in  infancy,  in  childhood,  in  youth,  and  in  manhood.  Another 
is  cradled  under  the  influence  of  intelligences,  piety,  virtue  ; 
having  around  it  always  the  safeguards  of  refined  and  Chris- 
tian civilization.  What  is  the  difference  in  the  degree  of 
responsibility  attached  to  the  future  of  these  antipode  begin- 
nings ?  Can  you  tell  me  where,  and  how  these  wide,  terri- 
bly wide  distinctions  are  to  be  reconciled  ?  When  and 
where  the  career  of  these  germs  of  being,  starting  from 
points  so  wide  asunder,  are  to  meet,  and  how  the  balances 
of  good  and  evil,  of  suffering  and  enjoyment,  of  sinning  and 
retribution,  are  to  be  adjusted  at  last  ?  I  have  been  asking 
myself,  too,  while  listening  to  the  speech  of  these  men,  so 
thoughtlessly  uttered,  where  these  profane  epithets,  these 
impious  expressions,  are  to  rest  at  last  ?  Who  can  tell 
whether  they  do  not  go  jarring  through  the  universe,  mar- 
ring the  music  of  the  spheres,  throwing  discord  into  the  an- 
thems of  the  morning  stars  when  they  sing  together,  a  wail 
among  the  glad  voices  of  the  sons  of  God,  when  they  shout 
for  joy  ?  In  this  world,  and  to  the  duluess  of  human  per- 
ception, when  the  sound  of  the  impious  words  has  died 
away,  or  a  smile  comes  back  to  the  face  clouded  by  the 
angry  thought,  the  effect  seems  to  have  ceased  ;  but  it  may 
not  be  so.  The  word  or  the  thought  may  be  wandering  for 
ages,  vibrating  still,  away  off  among  the  outer  creations  of 
God.  The  angel  that  bore  them  at  the  beginning  from  the 
lips  or  the  heart,  may  be  flying  still,  and  generations  and 
centuries  may  have  passed,  before  his  journeying  with  them 
shall  have  ceased. 


276  VITALITY   OF  THOUGHT   AND   EXPRESSION. 

"  It  is  a  fanciful  idea,  that  whatever  we  say  or  think,  is 
immortal  ;  that  every  word  we  utter  goes  ringing  through 
the  universe  forever  ;  that  every  thought  of  the  heart  be- 
comes a  creation,  a  thing  of  vitality  in  some  shape,  starting 
forward  among  the  things  of  some  sort  of  life,  never  to  die  1 
I  have  sometimes,  in  my  dreamy  hours,  speculated  upon  the 
truth  of  such  a  theory,  and  reasoned  with  myself  in  favor  of 
its  reality.  All  I  can  say  in  its  favor,  however,  is  that  I 
cannot  disprove  it.  It  may  be  true,,  or  it  may  not.  There 
are  other  mysteries  quite  as  incomprehensible,  the  results  of 
which  we  can  see,  without  being  able  to  penetrate  the  dark- 
ness in  which  they  dwell.  But  assuming  its  truth,  and  ap- 
preciating the  consequences  which  would  follow,  we  should 
rule  the  tongue  with  a  sterner  sway,  and  guard  the  heart 
with  a  more  watchful  care  than  is  our  wont.  Think  of  the 
obscene  word  becoming  a  living  entity,  the  profane  oath,  a 
thing  of  life  ;  the  filthy  or  impure  thought,  assuming  fonn 
and  vitality,  all  starting  forward  to  exist  forever  among  the 
creations  of  infinite  purity.  Who  would  own  one  of  these 
ogres  in  comparison  with  the  beautiful  things  of  God  ?  Who 
would  say  of  the  obscene  word,  the  profane  oath,  or  the 
filthy  or  impious  thought,  '  this  is  mine.  I  made  it.  I  am 
the  author  of  its  being — its  creator  I'  And  yet  it  may  be 
so.  If  it  is,  there  are  few  of  us  who  have  not  thrown  into 
life  much,  very  much  to  mar  the  harmonies  of  nature,  to 
throw  discord  among  the  spheres." 

"  Your  statement,"  remarked  Smith,  "  that  accident  has 
much  to  do  with  making  or  marring  the  fortunes  of  men,  is 


A  CASE   IN   POINT.  277 

doubtless  true.  Men  are  destroyed  by  accident,  and  their 
lives  are  sometimes  saved  by  it.  And  if  you'll  put  away 
metaphysics,  come  out  of  the  cloud  in  which  you  have  hid 
yourself  in  your  dreamy  speculations,  I  will  furnish  you  with 
a  case  in  point,  showing  that  a  man  may  get  into  a  very 
unpleasant  predicament,  where  he  runs  a  great  risk  and  gets 
some  hard  knocks,  and  yet  be  able  to  thank  God  for  it,  in 
perfect  earnestness  of  spirit.  A  case  of  the  kind  came  under 
my  own  observation,  and  while  there  was  not  much  philoso- 
phy, or  abstract  speculation  about  it,  there  was  a  great  deal 
of  hard  practical  fact.  It  happened  when  I  was  a  boy,  at 
the  old  homestead,  in  the  valley  that  stretches  to  the  south- 
west from  the  head  of  Crooked  Lake.  That  valley  is 
hemmed  in  by  high  and  steep  hills,  and  at  the  time  of  which 
I  speak,  was  much  more  beautiful  in  my  view  than  it  is  now. 
There  was  no  village  there  then,  and  the  farms  which 
fetched  from  hill  to  hill  were  greatly  less  valuable  than 
they  are  now  ;  but  the  woods  and  pastures,  and  meadows, 
lay  exactly  in  the  right  places,  and  had  among  them  par- 
tridges, and  squirrels,  and  pigeons,  and  cattle,  and  sheep 
enough  to  make  things  pleasant ;  besides,  there  were  plenty 
of  trout  in  those  days,  in  the  stream  that  flows  along  through 
the  valley  midway  between  the  hills.  On  the  north  side, 
coming  down  through  a  gorge,  or  '  the  gulf,'  as  we  used  to 
call  it,  was  a  stream  which,  in  the  dry  season  of  the  year, 
was  a  little  brook,  trickling  over  the  rocks,  but  which,  in 
the  spring  freshets,  or  when  the  clouds  emptied  themselves 
on  the  mountain,  was  a  wild,  foaming,  roaring,  and  resistless 


278  CLIMBING   THE   FALLS A   SLIDE. 

torrent.  In  following  this  stream  into  '  the  gulf,'  yon 
walked  on  a  level  plain  between  walls  of  rock,  rising  two  or 
three  hundred  feet  on  either  hand,  and  a  dozen  or  more  rods 
apart,  until  you  came  to  '  the  falls,'  down  which  the  stream 
rushed  with  a  plunge  and  a  roar,  when  its  back  was  up,  or 
over  which,  in  the  dry  season,  it  quietly  rippled.  These 
'  falls '  were  not  perpendicular,  but  steep  as  the  roof  of  a 
Dutch  barn,  and  it  was  a  great  feat  to  climb  them  when  the 
stream  was  low.  Ascending  about  fifty  feet,  you  came  to  a 
broad  flat  rock,  large  and  smooth  as  a  parlor  floor,  and 
which  in  the  summer  season  was  dry.  Well,  one  day,  in 
company  with  a  boy  who  was  visiting  me,  I  went  up  to  the 
'  falls/  and  we  concluded  to  climb  the  shelving  rocks  to  the 
'  table  ;'  and  taking  off  our  shoes  and  stockings,  entered  upon 
the  perilous  ascent — for  such  to  some  extent  it  was.  Hands 
and  feet,  fingers  and  toes,  were  all  put  in  requisition.  My 
friend  began  the  ascent  before  I  did,  and  was  half  way%p 
when  I  started.  I  ought  to  have  said,  that  at  the  foot  of 
the  '  falls/  was  a  basin,  worn  away  by  the  torrent,  and  in 
which  the  water,  clear  and  cold,  then  stood  to  the  depth  of 
three  or  four  feet.  We  were  toiling  painfully  up,  when  I 
heard  a  rush  above,  and  in  an  instant  my  friend  came  like 
an  arrow  past  me,  sliding  down  the  shelving  rocks  on  his 
back,  or  rather  in  a  half-sitting  posture,  his  rear  to  the 
rocks.  I  won't  undertake  to  say  that  the  fire  flew  as  he 
went  by  me,  for  the  rocks  were  slate,  and  therefore  such  a 
phenomenon  was  not  likely  to  occur,  but  the  entire  absence 
of  the  seat  of  my  friend's  pantaloons,  and  the  blood  that 


AN   ESCAPE   FROM   RATTLESNAKES.  279 

trickled  down  to  his  toes,  showed  that  the  friction  was  con- 
siderable. As  he  passed  me,  I  h^eard  him  exclaim,  '  thank 
God,'  and  the  next  instant  he  plunged  into  the  cold  water  at 
the  base  of  the  falls.  What  there  was  to  be  thankful  for  in 
such  a  descent  over  the  rocks,  I  could  not  at  the  tune  com- 
prehend, as  the  chances  were  in  favor  of  a  broken  back,  or 
neck,  or  some  other  consummation  equally  out  of  the  range 
of  gratitude,  in  an  ordinary  way.  He  came  up  out  of  the 
water  blowing  and  snorting  like  a  porpoise  with  a  cold  in 
his  head,  and  waded  to  the  shore.  '  Come  down,'  he 
shouted,  which  I  did,  not  quite  so  far  or  fast  as  he  did,  but 
fast  enough  to  make  an  involuntary  plunge,  head  foremost, 
into  the  pool  at  the  bottom.  The  occasion  of  his  catastro- 
phe was  this  :  he  had  ascended  so  near  the  table  rock, 
that  his  hands  were  upon  it,  and  was  lifting  himself  up, 
when,  as  his  eyes  came  above  the  surface,  the  edge  upon 
which  his  hands  with  most  of  his  weight  rested,  gave  way, 
and  he  started  for  the  basin  below.  But  he  had  a  view  of 
what  satisfied  him  that  to  this  accident  he  owed  his  life,  and 
it  was  a  sense  of  gratitude  for  bis  escape,  that  prompted 
the  exclamation  I  heard  as  he  went  bumping  past  me. 
Coiled  on  the  rock  above,  and  within  reach  of  his  face,  were 
several  large  rattlesnakes,  and  he  always  insisted  that  one 
made  a  spring  at  him,  as  his  hands  gave  way,  and  he  put 
out  for  the  basin  into  which  he  plunged.  He  was  a  good 
deal  bruised,  but  his  escape  from  the  poisonous  reptiles 
reconciled  him  to  that." 


CHAPTER  XXV. 

HEADED  TOWARDS    HOME — THE   MARTIN    AND    SABLE    HUNTER — 
HIS   CABIN AUTUMNAL   SCENERY. 

WE  concluded  that  we  would  break  up  our  camp  in  the 
morning,  and  drift  leisurely  back  towards  civilisation.  We 
had  tarried  upon  this  beautiful  lake  until  we  had  explored 
its  romantic  nooks,  and  we  started  on  our  return  to  our  old 
camping  ground  at  the  foot  of  Round  Pond.  We  had 
refrained  for  two  days  from  disturbing  the  deer,  and  our 
supply  of  fresh  venison  was  entirely  exhausted.  Just  at  the 
outlet  of  the  lake  we  were  leaving,  is  a  little  bay,  towards 
the  head  of  which  are  a  great  number  of  boulders,  laying 
around  loose,  scattered  about  like  haycocks  in  a  meadow, 
only  a  great  many  more  to  the  acre.  The  water  about  these 
boulders  is  shallow,  and  the  lily-pads  and  grasses  make  a 
luxuriant  pasture  for  the  deer.  Among  these  boulders,  and 
concealed  by  one  of  them,  save  when  his  head  was  up,  was  a 
deer.  While  he  fed  we  could  see  nothing  of  him,  but  when 
he  raised  his  head  to  look  around  him,  that  alone  was  visible 


SMITH  IS   WONDERFULLY   ELATED.  281 

above  the  rock.  Smith  and  myself  were  in  the  leading  boat, 
he  in  the  bow  with  his  rifle.  As  the  current  swept  near  the 
rocks  where  the  deer  was  feeding,  we  let  our  little  craft  drift 
quietly  in  that  direction.  As  we  came  within  shooting  dis- 
tance, say  from  fifteen  to  twenty  rods,  Smith  adjusted  his 
rifle,  and  as  the  animal  raised  its  head  above  the  rock,  he 
sighted  him  carefully,  and  fired.  It  was  a  beautiful  shot. 
There  was  nothing  of  the  animal  but  the  head  visible,  and 
the  bullet,  true  to  its  aim,  struck  it  square  between  the  eyes, 
and  it  fell  dead.  This  shot,  together  with  the  glory  of  kill- 
ing the  bear,  elated  Smith  wonderfully,  and  upon  the 
strength  of  them,  he  assumed  the  championship  of  the  expe- 
dition. 

We  drew  the  deer  into  the  baggage-boat,  and  sent  for- 
ward our  pioneer  to  erect  our  tents,  and  prepare  a  late  din- 
ner, at  our  old  camping  ground,  while  we  landed  with  the 
dogs  on  the  island  near  the  head  of  Round  Pond,  or  Lake, 
to  course  whatever  game  they  might  find  upon  it.  They 
soon  burst  into  full  chorus,  and  dashed  away.  The  island  is 
small,  containing  only  a  few  acres,  and  the  game  could  not, 
therefore,  take  a  wide  range.  After  a  single  turn,  a  deer 
broke,  like  a  maddened  war-horse,  from  the  thicket,  and 
plunging  into  the  lake,  struck  boldly  for  the  mainland, 
five  hundred  yards  distant.  We  were  near  by  with  our  two 
boats  when  he  took  to  the  water,  and  we  thought  we  would 
accompany  him  as  an  escort  to  the  shore  ;  so  we  rowed  up, 
and  with  a  boat  on  each  side,  and  within  ten  feet  of  him,  as 
he  swam,  escorted  him  towards  the  forest.  We  treated  him 


282  A  TRAPPER'S  HUT. 

with  great  respect,  offering  him  no  indignity,  interfering  with 
him  in  nothing  ;  and  yet  the  old  fellow  seemed  very  far  from 
appreciating  our  politeness,  or  relishing  our  company.  The 
truth  is,  he  was  horribly  frightened,  and  he  struggled  despe- 
rately to  rid  himself  of  our  association  ;  but  we  stuck  by  him 
like  his  destiny,  talking  kindly  to  him,  endeavoring  to  im- 
press upon  his  mind  that  we  meant  him  no  harm — indeed, 
that  we  were  his  friends.  But,  I  repeat,  he  did  not  appre- 
ciate our  politeness.  By-and-by  his  feet  touched  the  sand, 
and  he  bounded  forward,  as  much  as  to  say,  "Good-bye, 
gentlemen,"  when  a  simultaneous  yell  from  all  six  of  us,  and 
the  discharge  of  four  rifles  in  quick  succession  over  him, 
added  wonderfully  to  the  energy  of  his  flight.  He  will  be 
likely  to  recognise  us  if  he  ever  meets  us  again,  and  if  the 
past  furnishes  any  admonitions  to  his  kind,  he  will  give  us 
a  wide  berth. 

We  rowed  leisurely  along  the  eastern  shore,  and  in  a  deep 
bay  found  excellent  fishing,  at  the  mouth  of  a  cold  mountain 
brook.  On  the  banks  of  this  bay  we  found  the  whiter  hut 
of  a  martin  and  sable  trapper.  It  had  an  outer  and  inner  ap- 
partment,  the  latter  almost  subterranean.  The  hut  was  com- 
posed of  small  logs,  which  a  single  man  could  lay  up,  the 
crevices  between  which  were  closely  packed  with  moss,  and 
the  roof  covered  with  two  or  three  layers  of  bark.  The 
doorway  was  sawed  through  these  logs,  and  a  door,  con- 
structed of  bark,  was  made  to  fit  it ;  a  rude  hearth  of  sand- 
stone was  built  in  one  corner,  and  a  hole  was  open  above  it 
to  let  out  the  smoke.  Against  the  outside  of  this  pen,  only 


WE   ARRIVE   AT   OTJR   CAMP.  283 

about  ten  feet  square,  logs  were  leaned  up,  the  ends  of  which 
rested  upon  the  ground,  the  interstices  between  them  care- 
fully stopped  with  moss,  and  the  whole  covered  with  bark  ;  the 
ends  consisted  of  stakes,  driven  into  the  ground  and  chinked 
with  moss.  Into  this  sleeping  apartment  a  door  was  cut  from 
the  parlor,  large  enough  for  a  man  to  pass  by  getting  down 
on  all-fours  ;  while  within  was  a  plentiful  supply  of  boughs 
from  the  spruce  and  fir  tree.  In  this  hut,  now  so  dark",  and 
in  which  the  air  was  so  dead  and  fetid,  a  solitary  trapper 
had  wintered,  pursuing  his  occupation  of  martin  and  sable 
hunting — the  which,  if  tolerably  successful,  would  yield  him 
some  two  or  three  hundred  dollars  the  season.  He  carried 
into  the  woods  a  bag  of  flour  or  meal,  a  few  pounds  of  pork, 
pepper,  salt,  and  tea ;  and  this,  with  the  game  he  killed, 
made  up  his  supply  of  food.  With  no  companion  but  his 
dog,  he  had  probably  spent  two  or  three  months,  and  very 
possibly  more,  in  this  lonely  cabin. 

We  arrived  at  our  camp  towards  evening,  and  dined 
sumptuously  on  fresh  venison  and  trout.  Our  pioneer  had 
provided  a  luxurious  bed  of  boughs  within,  and  had  fashioned 
rude  seats  in  front  of  our  tents.  He  had  rolled  the  butt  of  a 
huge  tree,  which  he  had  felled,  to  the  proper  place,  against 
which  to  kindle  our  camp-fire,  and  we  had  a  pleasant  place 
to  sit,  with  our  pipes,  in  the  evening,  looking  out  over  the 
water,  listening  to  the  pile-drivers,  half  a  dozen  of  which 
were  driving  their  stakes  along  the  reedy  shore,  with  com- 
mendable diligence.  The  sunlight  lay  so  beautifully  on  the 
hillsides,  and  contrasted  so  admirably  with  the  deep  shadows 


284  GLORIES   OF   SPKING-TIME. 

of  the  valley  beneath,  the  lake  was  so  calm  and  still,  the  old 
woods  stood  around  so  moveless  and  solemn,  that  one  could 
scarcely  persnade  himself  that  he  was  not  looking  upon  some 
gigantic  picture,  the  fanciful  grouping  and  transcendent 
coloring  of  some  ingenious  and  winning  artist. 

"  The  hillsides  about  these  lakes,"  remarked  the  Doctor, 
"  must  be  superlatively  beautiful  in  the  fall,  when  the  forest 
puts  on  its  autumnal  foliage.  They  present  such  a  variety 
of  trees,  of  so  many  different  kinds,  and  the  hills  and  moun- 
tains are  so  admirably  arranged,  that  they  must  be  gorgeous 
beyond  description.  However  we  may  prefer  the  green  and 
living  beauty  of  spring,  when  everything  is  so  full  of  vitality, 
so  buoyant  and  free,  yet  the  autumn  scenery  is  the  most 
magnificent  of  any  in  the  year." 

"  Every  season  has  its  charms,"  said  Spalding,  "  Even 
the  winter,  with  its  cold,  its  dead  and  cheerless  desolation, 
has  its  robe  of  chaste  and  peerless  white,  which,  as  well  as 
that  of  the  spring-time,  the  summer,  and  the  autumn,  has 
been  the  theme  of  song.  I  agree  with  you,  that  in  gorgeous- 
ness  of  beauty,  there  is  no  season  so  rich  as  the  autumn. 
Spring-time  has  its  pleasant  scenery,  its  genial  days,  its  deep 
green,  its  flowers,  and  its  singing  birds  ;  and  these  are  all 
the  more  lovely  because  they  follow  so  closely  upon  the  cold 
storms,  and  bleak  winds,  the  chilling  and  blank  desolation 
of  winter.  We  love  the  spring  because  of  its  freshness,  its 
pervading  vitality,  its  recuperating  influences.  Everybody 
loves  the  spring-time ;  everybody  talks  about  the  spring-time ; 
poets  sing  of  it  ;  orators  praise  it  ;  '  fair  women  and  brave 


AUTUMNAL   SCENERY.  285 

men '  laud  it ;  so  that  were  spring-time  human,  and  posses- 
sing human  instincts,  and  subject  to  human  frailties,  it  would 
have  plenty  of  excuse,  for  becoming  a  very  vain  personage. 

"  Somebody  has  called  the  autumnal  days  the  '  saddest  of 
the  year.'  I  have  forgotten  who  he  was,  if  I  ever  knew  ; 
but  in  my  judgment,  he  was  all  wrong.  Dark  days  there 
are — damp,  chilly,  misty,  wet,  and  unpleasant  days  in 
autumn  ;  days  that  make  one  relish  a  corner  by  an  old- 
fashioned  fire.  There  are  gusty,  windy,  capricious  days  in 
autumn,  which  nobody  cares  to  praise,  when  the  northwest 
wind  goes  sweeping  over  the  forest,  roaring  among  the  trees, 
and  whirling  the  sere  leaves  along  the  ground,  and  which, 
to  tell  the  truth  about  them,  are  anything  but  pleasant. 
But  '  some  days  must  be  dark  and  dreary,'  and  they  serve  to 
give  the  sunlight  of  a  bright  to-morrow  a  keener  relish,  and 
a  lovelier  comparative  beauty.  To  call  the  fall  days  the 
'  saddest  of  the  year '  is  an  absurdity,  poetical  I  admit,  but 
still  an  absurdity.  There  is  nothing  sad  in  a  cold,  or  a 
wet,  a  drizzly,  a  gusty,  or  a  stormy  day  ;  much  there  may  be 
that  is  unpleasant,  much  that  one  may  be  disposed  to  quar- 
rel with,  but  they  are  anything  but  sad. 

A  calm  autumnal  day  in  the  country  is  a  great  thing,  a 
beautiful  thing,  a  thing  to  thank  God  for  ;  a  thing  to  make 
one  happy,  buoyant  of  spirit,  full  of  gratitude  to  the  great 
Creator  ;  a  thing  to  make  one  merry,  too,  not  with  a  loud 
and  boisterous  mirth,  but  with  a  heart  full  to  overflowing 
with  cheerfulness,  and  a  calm  joy.  To  see  the  bright  sun 
standing  in  his  glory  up  in  the  sky,  shedding  his  placid  light 


286  AUTUMNAL   SCENERY. 

over  the  earth,  when  the  air  is  clear,  the  winds  hushed,  and 
the  leaves  are  still  and  moveless  on  the  trees  ;  and  then  to 
look  along  the  hillsides,  and  mark  the  bright  sunlight,  and 
the  deep  shadows,  the  green  of  the  fir,  the  hemlock,  and  the 
spruce,  the  yellow  of  the  birch,  the  crimson  of  the  maple, 
the  dark  brown  of  the  beech,  the  grey  of  the  oak,  the  silver 
glow  of  the  popple,  and  the  varying  shades  of  all  these, 
mingling  and  blending  in  all  the  harmony  of  brilliant  color- 
ing. Why,  these  hillsides  are  decked  like  a  maiden  in  her 
beauty,  like  a  bride  robed  for  the  altar  !  Talk  about  spring- 
time, or  summer  !  Green  on  the  hillside  !  green  in  the 
meadows  and  pastures  !  green  everywhere — all  around  is 
changeless  and  everlasting  green  !  as  if  hillside  and  valley, 
forest  and  field,  had  but  a  single  dress  for  morning,  noon, 
and  night,  and  that  only  and  always  green  !  True,  there  is 
the  music  of  the  birds,  joyous  notes  and  variant,  happy  and 
hilarious,  in  the  spring-time,  but  there  is  no  cricket  under 
the  flat  stone  in  the  pasture,  his  song  is  not  heard  in  the 
stone  wall,  or  in  the  corner  of  the  fences  ;  no  music  of  the 
katydid  ;  no  tapping  of  the  woodpecker  on  the  hollow  tree, 
or  the  dead  limb  ;  no  chattering  of  the  squirrel,  as  he 
gathers  his  winter  store  ;  no  pattering  of  the  faded  leaves, 
as  they  come  so  quietly  down  from  their  places  ;  no  falling 
of  the  ripened  nuts,  loosened  from  their  burs  or  shucks  by 
the  recent  frosts.  All  these  sounds  belong  to  the  calm 
autumnal  days,  and  while  they  differ  the  whole  heavens  from 
the  merry  songs  of  spring,  there  is  nothing  sad  about  them. 
No  !  No  !  nothing  sad.  I  remember  (and  who  that  was 


MEMORIES   OF   YOUTH.  287 

reared  in  the  country  does  not)  when  I  was  a  boy,  how  I 
went  out  in  the  sunny  days  of  autumn,  after  the  frosts  had 
painted  the  hillsides,  to  gather  chestnuts  ;  and  when  the 
breeze  rustled  among  the  branches,  how  the  nuts  came 
rattling  down  ;  and  how  if  the  winds  were  still,  I  climbed 
into  the  trees  and  shook  their  tops,  and  how  the  chestnuts 
pattered  to  the  ground  like  a  shower  of  hail.  I  remember 
the  squirrels  how  they  chattered,  and  chased  each  other  up 
and  down  the  trees,  or  leaped  from  branch  to  branch, 
gathering  here  and  there  a  nut,  and  scudding  away  to  their 
store  houses  in  the  hollow  trees,  providing  in  this  season  of 
plenty  for  the  barrenness  of  the  winter  months.  I  remem- 
ber, too,  how  we  gathered,  in  those  same  old  autumnal  days, 
hickory-nuts  and  butter-nuts  by  the  bushel  ;  and  how  plea- 
sant it  was  in  the  long  cold  winter  evenings,  to  sit  around 
the  great  old  kitchen  fire-place,  cracking  the  nuts  we  had 
gathered  when  the  green,  the  yellow,  the  crimson,  the  brown, 
the  grey,  and  the  pale  leaves  were  on  the  trees.  Pleasant 
evenings  those  seem  to  me  now,  as  they  come  floating  down 
on  the  current  of  memory  from  the  long  past,  and  dear  are 
the  faces  of  those  that  made  up  the  tableaux  as  they  were 
grouped  around  those  winter  fires.  Logs  were  blazing  on 
the  great  hearth,  and  the  pineknots,  thrown  at  intervals  on 
the  fire,  gave  a  bold  and  cheerful  light  throughout  that 
capacious  kitchen.  I  remember  how  the  wfnter  wind  went 
glancing  over  the  house-top,  whirling,  and  eddying,  and 
moaning  around  the  corners,  hissing  under  the  door  and 
sending  its  cold  breath  in  at  every  crevice  ;  and  how  the 


288  MEMOBIES   OF  YOUTH. 

windows  rattled  when  the  blast  came  fiercest,  and  how  the 
smoke  would  sometimes  whirl  down  the  great  chimney.  I 
remember  well  where  my  father's  chair  was  always  placed  ; 
and  where  my  mother  sat  of  those  winter  evenings,  when 
her  household  cares  were  over  for  the  day,  plying  her  needle, 
or  knitting,  or  darning  stockings,  or  mending  garments,  for 
such  employment  was  no  dishonor  to  the  matrons  of  those 
days.  With  these  for  the  leading  figures,  I  remember  how 
seven  brothers  and  sisters  were  grouped  around,  and  how 
the  old  house  dog  had  a  place  in  the  corner,  and  how 
lovingly  the  cat  nestled  between  his  feet.  Cherished  memo- 
ries are  these  pleasant  visions  and  they  come  to  me  often, 
vivid  as  realities.  But  the  dream  vanishes,  the  vision  fades  - 
away,  and  I  think  of  the  six  pale,  still  faces  as  I  saw  them 
last,  and  of  the  names  that  are  chiseled  upon  the  cold 
marble  that  stands  through  the  sunny  spring-time,  the  heat 
of  summer,  the  autumnal  days,  and  the  storms  and  tempests 
of  winter,  over  the  graves  of  the  dead." 


CHAPTER  XXVI. 

A    SURPRISE— A    SERENADE A     VISIT     FROM     STRANGERS — AN 

INVITATION    TO    BREAKFAST — A    FASHIONABLE    HOUR    AND   A 
BOUNTIFUL  BILL  OF  FARE. 

THE  evening  was  calm,  and  the  lake  slept  in  stirless 
beauty  before  us.  The  shadows  of  the  mountains  reached 
far  out  from  the  shore,  lieing  like  a  dark  mantle  upon  the 
surface  of  the  waters,  above  and  beneath  which  the  stars 
twinkled  and  glowed  like  the  bright  eyes  of  seraphs  looking 
down  from  the  arches  above,  and  up  from  the  depths  below. 
The  moon  in  her  brightness  sailed  majesticaliy  up  into  the 
sky,  throwing  her  silver  light  across  the  bosom  of  the  lake  ; 
millions  of  fireflies  flashed  their  tiny  torches  along  the  reedy 
shore  ;  the  solemn  voices  of  the  night  birds  came  from  out 
the  forest ;  the  call  of  the  raccoon  and  the  answer,  the 
hooting  of  the  owl,  and  the  low  murmur  of  the  leaves,  stirred 
by  the  light  breeze  that  moved  lazily  among  the  tree-tops, 
old  familiar  music  to  us,  were  heard.  This  latter  sound  is 
always  heard,  even  in  the  stillest  and  calmest  nights.  There 

13  » 


290  A    SURPRISE.  » 

may  be  no  ripple  upon  the  water  ;  it  may  be  moveless  and 
smooth  as  a  mirror,  no  breath  of  air  may  sweep  across  its 
surface,  and  yet  in  the  old  forest  among  the  tree-tops,  there 
is  always  that  low  ceaseless  murmur,  a  soft  whispering  as  if 
the  spirits  of  the  woods  were  holding,  in  hushed  voices,  com- 
munion together.  We  had  retired  for  the  night  under  the 
cover  of  our  tents.  My  companion  had  sunk  into  slumber, 
and  I  was  just  in  that  dreamy  state,  half  sleeping  and  half 
awake,  which  constitutes  the  very  paradise  of  repose,  when 
there  came  drifting  across  the  lake  the  faint  and  far  off_ 
strains  of  music,  which,  to  my  seeming,  exceeded  in  sweetness 
anything  I  had  ever  heard.  They  came  so  soft  and  melo- 
dious, floating  so  gently  over  the  water,  and  dying  away  so 
quietly  in  the  old  woods,  that  I  could  scarce  persuade  my- 
self of  their  reality.  For  a  while  I  lay  luxuriating  as  in  the 
delusion  of  a  pleasant  dream,  as  though  the  melody  that 
was  abroad  on  the  air  was  the  voices  of  angels  chanting 
their  lullaby  into  the  charmed  ear  of  the  sleeper.  Presently, 
Smith  raised  his  head,  supporting  his  cheek  upon  his  hand, 
his  elbow  resting  upon  the  ground,  and  after  listening  for  a 
moment,  opened  his  eyes  in  bewilderment  exclaiming,  as  he 
looked  in  utter  astonishment  about  him,  "What,  in  the 
name  of  all  that  is  mysterious,  is  that  ?" 

Spalding  and  the  Doctor  followed,  and  their  amazement 
was  equalled  only  by  their  admiration  when 

"  Oft  In  the  stilly  night " 

came  stealing  in  matchless  harmony  over  the  water, 


•      A   SERENADE.  291 

"  A  serenade  from  the  Naiads,  by  Jupiter  1"  exclaimed 
Smith. 

"  A  concert,  by  the  Genii  of  the  waters  1"  cried  the 
Doctor. 

"  Hush  1"  said  Spalding,  "  we  are  trespassing  upon  fairy 
domain  ;  the  spirits  of  these  old  woods,  these  mountains  and 
rock-bound  lakes,  are  abroad,  and  well  may  they  carol  in 
their  joyousness  in  a  night  like  this."  . 

In  a  little  while  the  music  changed,  and 

"  Come  o'er  the  moonlight  sea  " 

came  swelling  over  the  lake.     And  again  it  changed  and 

"  Come  mariner  down  in  the  deep  with  me" 

went  gently  and  swiftly  abroad  on  the  air.  The  mnsic 
ceased  for  a  moment,  and  then  two  manly  voices,  of  great 
depth  and  power,  came  floating  to  our  ears  to  the  words  : 

"  '  Farewell !  Farewell  I  To  thee,  Araby's  daughter,' 
Thus  warbled  a  Peri,  beneath  the  deep  sea, 
'  No  pearl  ever  lay  under  Onan's  dark  water, 
More  pure  in  its  shell  than  thy  spirit  in  thee.' " 

"  That's  flesh  and  blood,  at  least,"  exclaimed  the  Doctor, 
"and  I  propose  to  ascertain  who  are  treating  us  to  this 
charming  serenade  in  the  stillness  of  midnight." 

We  went  down  to  the  margin  of  the  lake,  and  a  few  rods 
from  the  shore  lay  a  little  craft  like  our  own,  in  which  were 
seated  two  gentlemen,  the  one  with  a  flute  and  the  other 
with  a  violin.  They  had  seen  our  campfire  from  their  shanty 


A   VISIT  FKOM   STRANGERS. 

on  the  other  side  of  the  lake,  and  had  crossed  over  to 
surprise  us  with  the  melody  of  human  music.  And  plea- 
santly indeed  it  sounded  in  the  stillness  and  repose  of  that 
summer  night  in  that  wild  region.  The  echoes  that  dwell 
among  those  old  forests,  those  hills  and  beautiful  lakes,  had 
never  been  startled  from  their  slumbers  by  such  sounds 
before,  and  right  merrily  they  carried  them  from  hill  to  hill, 
and  through  the  old  woods,  and  over  the  calm  surface  of 
that  sleeping  lake,  and  with  a  joyonsness,  too,  that  told 
how  welcome  they  were  among  those  wild  and  primeval 
things. 

After  listening  to  their  music  for  half  an  hour,  we  invited 
our  new  friends  ashore.  We  found  them  to  be  two  young 
gentlemen  from  Philadelphia,  who  had  just  graduated  at 
one  of  the  Eastern  colleges,  and  who  had  concluded  to  spend 
a  month  among  these  mountains  and  lakes,  before  entering 
upon  the  study  of  the  profession  to  which  they  were  to 
devote  themselves.  They  had  been  close  friends  from  their 
childhood,  and  room-mates  during  their  collegiate  course. 
They  had  cultivated  their  taste  for  music,  until  few  mere 
amateurs  could  equal  their  skill  upon  their  respective  in- 
struments, or  in  harmony  of  voice.  They  were  highly 
intelligent  and  courteous  gentlemen,  and  if  their  future  shall 
equal  the  promise  of  the  present,  they  will  make  their 
mark  in  the  world.  We  accepted,  at  parting,  their  invita- 
tion to  breakfast  with  them  on  the  morrow,  and  at  one 
o'clock  they  left  us  to  return  to  their  shanty  over  the  lake. 
We  sent  one  of  our  boatmen  to  row  them  home  ;  and  as 


SWEETNESS   OF   THE   HUMAN   VOICE.  293 

they  started  across  the  water,  they  treated  us  to  a  concert 
to  which  it  was  pleasant  to  listen.  There  is  something 
surpassingly  sweet  in  the  music  of  the  flute  and  violin  in 
the  hands  of  skillful  performers  ;  and  yet,  to  my  thinking, 
it  falls  far  short  of  the  melody  of  the  human  voice.  I 
have  listened  to  some  of  the  most  celebrated  singers,  and 
of  the  most  distinguished  performers,  but  it  appears  to 
me  now,  that  I  never,  on  any  other  occasion,  heard  the 
melody  of  the  human  voice,  or  instrumental  music  half  so 
enchanting,  as  that  which  came  floating  over  the  lake  on 
that  calm  summer  night.  There  was  a  volume  and  compass 
about  it  which  can  never  be  reached  in  a  concert  room. 
It  was  not  loud,  but  it  seemed  to  fill  all  the  air  with  its 
sweetness.  It  came  over  the  senses  like  a  pleasant  dream, 
as  it  went  swelling  up  to  the  hills  that  skirted  the  lake, 
floating  away  over  the  water,  and  dying  away  in  length- 
ened cadence  in  the  old  forests.  Every  other  sound  was 
hushed ;  the  voices  of  the  night-birds  were  stilled  ;  even 
the  frogs  along  the  shore  suspended  their  bellowing,  and 
all  nature  seemed  listening  to  the  new  harmony  that  thus 
fell  like  enchantment  upon  the  repose  of  midnight.  The 
music  grew  fainter  and  fainter  as  it  receded,  until  only 
an  occasional  strain,  wavy  and  dream-like,  came  creeping 
like  the  voice  of  a  spirit  over  the  water,  and  then  it  was 
lost  in  the  distance.  The  frogs  resumed  their  roaring, 
the  night-birds  lifted  up  their  voices  ;  the  raccoon  called 
to  his  fellow,  and  was  answered  away  off  in  the  forest ; 
the  pile-driver  hammered  away  at  his  stake,  the  old  owl 


294:  A   WOODLAND   BEEAKFABT. 

hooted  solemnly  from  his  perch,  and  we  retired  to  our  tents 
to  talk  over  the  romance  of  our  serenade,  and  to  dream 
of  Ole  Bull  and  the  Swedish  Nightingale. 

The  morning  broke  bright  and  balmy.  A  pleasant  breeze 
swept  lazily  over  the  lake,  lifting  the  thin  mist  that  hung 
like  a  veil  of  gauze  above  the  water.  We  left  our  tents 
standing,  and  crossed  over  to  the  shanty  of  our  friends 
of  the  previous  evening  to  breakfast.  We  found  them 
living  like  princes.  Their  two  boatmen  had  built  them 
a  log  shanty  ;  open  in  front,  and  covered  with  bark  so 
as  to  be  impervious  to  the  ram,  while  within  was  a  lux- 
urious bed  of  boughs.  Around  the  campfire  were  benches 
of  hewn  slabs,  and  a  table  of  the  same  material.  A  few 
rods  from  the  door  a  beautiful  spring  came  bubbling  up  into 
a  little  basin  of  pure  white  sand,  the  water  of  which  was 
limpid  and  cold  almost  as  ice-water.  They  had  been  here 
for  a  week,  hunting  and  fishing.  They  had  employed  their 
leisure  in  jerking  the  venison  they  had  taken,  of  which 
they  had  some  four  or  five  bushels,  and  which  they  intended 
to  take  home  with  them,  to  serve,  together  with  the  skins 
of  the  deer  they  had  slain,  as  trophies  of  their  success. 

They  received  us  cordially,  and  we  sat  down  to  a  break- 
fast, which,  for  variety,  at  least,  rivalled  the  elaborate 
preparations  of  the  Astor  or  the  St.  Nicholas  ;  albeit,  the 
cookery,  as  an  abstract  fact,  might  have  been  of  the 
simplest.  We  had  venison-steak,  pork,  ham,  jerked  venison 
stew,  fresh  trout,  broiled  partridge,  cold  roast  duck,  a 
fricassee  of  wood  rabbits,  and  broiled  pigeon  upon  oar  table, 


THE  HERO  RELATES  HIS  ACHIEVEMENT.     295 

coming  in  courses,  or  piled  up  helter-skelter  on  great  plat- 
ters of  birch  bark,  some  on  tin  plates,  and  now  and  then 
a  choice  bit  on  a  chip  !  We  had  coffee,  and  tea,  and  the 
purest  of  spring  water,  by  way  of  beverage,  and  truth 
compels  me  to  admit,  that  under  the  advice  of  the  Doctor, 
a  drop  or  two  of  Old  Cognac  may  have  been  added  by 
way  of  relish,  or  to  temper  the  effect  of  a  hearty  meal 
upon  the  delicate  stomachs  of  some  of  the  guests.  We 
were  exceedingly  fashionable  in  our  time  for  breakfasting 
this  morning,  and  it  was  eleven  o'clock  before  we  rose  from 
table.  The  sun  was  travelling  through  a  cloudless  sky, 
and  his  brightness  lay  like  a  mantle  of  glory  upon  the 
water,  while  his  heat  gave  to  the  deep  shadows  of  the 
old  trees,  whose  long  arms  with  their  clustering  foliage 
were  interlocked  above  us,  a  peculiar  charm.  The  descrip- 
tion which  we  gave  of  the  beautiful  lake  we  had  left  the 
day  before,  the  story  of  the  moose  and  the  bear  we  had 
killed,  together  with  our  quit-claim  of  the  shanty  we  had 
inhabited,  brought  our  friends  to  the  conclusion  to  drift 
that  way  for  a  week  or  so. 

It  was  amusing  to  hear  Smith  relate  the  manner  of  cap- 
turing the  bear,  the  glory  of  which  achievement  he  had  won 
by  the  tossing  up  of  a  dollar;  how  he  had  started  out  alone 
in  one  of  the  boats  with  his  rifle  to  look  into  a  little  bay 
half  a  mile  below  the  shanty,  where  he  left  the  rest  of 
us  sleeping  after  dinner  ;  and  how,  as  he  was  floating  along 
under  the  shadow  of  the  hills,  at  the  base  of  a  wall  of  rocks 
some  forty  feet  high,  rising  straight  up  from  the  water, 


296  PASTING   COMPANY. 

he  heard  something  walking  just  over  the  precipice  ;  and 
how  he  picked  up  his  rifle  that  lay  in  the  bottom  of  the 
boat,  to  be  ready  for  any  emergency;  and  then  how  as- 
tonished he  was  to  see  a  great  black  bear  walk  out  into 
view  along  the  edge  of  the  rocks  above,  and  how  carefully 
he  sighted  him;  and  how,  at  the  crack  of  his  rifle,  the 
animal  came  tumbling  down  the  cliff,  and  how  quick  he 
reloaded  and  gave  him  a  settler  hi  the  shape  of  a  second 
bullet ;  and  how  he  tugged,  and  strained,  and  lifted  to 
get  him  into  the  boat,  and  how  astonished  we  all  were 
when  he  returned  with  his  prize  to  camp.  While  relating 
this  wonderful  achievement,  he  winked  at  the  Doctor,  as 
much  as  to  say,  "fair  play;  remember  our  compact  ;  stand 
by  me  now."  And  the  Doctor  did  stand  by  him,  boldly 
endorsing,  with  a  gravity  that  was  refreshing,  every  inven- 
tion of  Smith's  prolific  imagination,  on  the  subject  of  his 
slaughtering  the  bear. 

We  left  our  new  friends  in  the  afternoon;  they  to  start 
in  the  morning  for  our  old  camping-ground  on  the  lake 
above,  and  we  down  the  stream  on  our  retreat  from  the 
wilderness.  We  came  back  to  our  tents,  after  securing  a 
string  of  trout  from  the  mouth  of  the  little  stream  across 
the  bay.  Our  evening  meal  was  over,  and  we  sat  around 
our  campfire  just  as  the  sun  was  hiding  himself  behind 
the  western  highlands,  when,  from  a  little  hollow  in  the 
forest  behind  us,  and  but  a  short  way  off,  we  heard  the 
call  of  a  raccoon.  Martin  started  over  the  ridge  with  the 
dogs,  and  in  five  minutes  he  hallooed  to  us  to  come  with 


"TKEEING"  A  COON.  297 

our  rifles  for  he  had  the  animal  "treed,"  and  ready  to 
be  brought  down  at  "a  moment's  warning."  We  went 
over  to  where  he  was,  and  sure  enough,  away  up  in  the 
top  of  a  tall  birch,  sat  his  coonship,  looking  quietly  down 
upon  the  dogs  that  were  baying  at  the  foot  of  the  tree. 

"  Gentlemen,"  said  Spalding,  "  we  will  not  all  fire  at 
this  animal  as  we  did  at  Smith's  bear.  One  bullet  is 
enough  for  him,  and  if  he  gets  down  among  us,  I  think 
six  men  will  be  a  match  for  one  'coon,'  so  we  need  not 
be  inhuman  through  a  sense  of  danger.  Whose  shot  shall 
he  be  ?" 

"  I  move  that  Spalding  have  the  first  shot,"  said  Smith  ; 
and  the  motion  was  carried. 

"Do  I  understand  you,  gentlemen,"  Spalding  inquired, 
adjusting  himself,  as  if  preparing  to  bring  down  the  game, 
"that  I  am  to  have  this  first  shot,  and  that  no  one  is 
to  fire  until  I  have  taken  a  fair  shot  at  him  ?" 

We  all  answered,  "  Yes." 

"Are  you  perfectly  agreed  in  this,  and  do  you  all 
pledge  yourselves  to  abide  the  compact  ?"  Spalding  inquired 
again,  bringing  his  rifle  to  a  present,  and  looking  up  at  the 
game. 

"  All  agreed,"  we  answered,  with  one  voice. 

"Very  well,  gentlemen,"  said  Spalding,  shouldering  his 
rifle,  "  there's  one  life  saved  anyhow.  That  animal  up  there 
has  been  in  great  peril,  but  he's  safe  now.  I  don't  intend 
to  fire  at  him  sooner  than  ten  o'clock  to-morrow,  and  if 


298  THE   COON    SAFE. 

I  understand  our  arrangements,  we  leave  here  in  the  morn- 
ing at  six." 

"  Sold,  by  Moses  1"  exclaimed  Martin,  as  he  broke  out 
into  a  roar  that  you  might  have  heard  a  mile  ;  "  I  thought 
the  Judge  meant  something,  by  the  time  he  wasted  in 
talkin'  and  gettin'  ready  to  shoot." 

"Spalding,"- inquired  Smith,  "do  you  expect  us  to  keep 
this  compact  ?" 

"  Of  course  I  do,"  he  replied;  "did  any  of  us  peach  when 
you  opened  so  rich  in  the  matter  of  your  bear  ?  Did  any 
one  break  his  compact  with  you  on  that  subject  ?  Absolve 
us  from  our  agreement  about  the  bear,  and  you  may  take 
my  shot  at  that  animal  up  hi  the  tree." 

"  I  wasn't  born  yesterday,"  Smith  replied,  "  and  I  can't 
afford  to  exchange  the  glory  of  killing  the  bear  in  my 
own  way,  and  having  three  responsible  endorsers,  for  the 
honor  of  shooting  a  coon.  Gentlemen,"  he  continued,  "  I 
move  that  that  coon  be  permitted  to  take  his  own  time  to 
descend  from  his  perch  up  in  the  tree-top  there;"  and  the 
motion  was  carried  unanimously. 


CHAPTER  XXVII. 

WOULD     I     WERE     A     BOY    AGAIN. 

"  WE  have  played  the  boy  again,  yesterday  and  to-day, 
pretty  well,"  remarked  Smith,  as  we  sat  in  front  of  our  tents 
in  the  evening,  smoking  our  pipes.  "  And  I  am  half  in- 
clined to  think  we  have  started  for  home  too  soon,  after  all. 
Spalding's  moralizing  for  the  last  two  or  three  days  deceived 
me.  I  thought,  as  he  was  becoming  so  serious,  he  must  be 
getting  tired  of  the  woods  ;  but  his  proposition  yesterday  to 
escort  that  deer  to  the  shore,  and  frighten  him  almost  to 
death,  his  jolly  humor  with  our  young  friends  over  the  way, 
and  the  trick  he  played  on  us  in  regard  to  the  raccoon  this 
evening,  satisfies  me  that  he's  got  a  good  deal  of  the  boy  in 
him  yet.  We  shall  have  to  retreat  from  the  woods  slower 
than  I  thought,  to  exhaust  it." 

"  If  the  cares  of  business  or  the  duties  of  life  did  not  call 
us  back  to  civilization"  said  the  Doctor,  "I  could  almost 
spend  the  summer  among  these  lakes,  only  for  the  luxury  of 
feeling  like  a  boy  again.  When  I  listen  to  the  glad  voices 
of  the  wild  things  around  us,  I  can  almost  wish  myself  .one 
of  them." 

299 


300  WOULD   I   WEBB   A   BOY   AGAIN! 

"  That  coon,  for  instance,"  interrupted  Smith,  "  that  came 
so  near  getting  shot  by  his  chattering." 

"  I  call  the  gentleman  to  order,"  said  I ;  "the  Doctor  has 
the  floor." 

"  I  sometimes  think  that  it  is  no  great  thing  after  all 
to  be  human  ; "  the  Doctor  continued,  bowing  his  acknow- 
ledgments for  my  protecting  his  right  to  the  floor.  "  Mind 
is  a  great  thing,  but  there  is  more  of  sorrow,  anxiety,  and 
care  clustering  about  it,  than  these  wild  things  we  hear  and 
see  around  us  suffer  through  their  instincts.  Eeason,  know- 
ledge, wisdom,  are  great  things.  To  stand  at  the  head  of 
created  matter,  to  be  the  noblest  of  all  the  works  of  God, 
the  only  created  thing  wearing  the  image,  and  stamped  with 
the  patent  of  Diety,  are  proud  things  to  boast  of.  But 
great  and  glorious  and  proud  as  they  are,  they  have  their 
balances  of  evil.  They  bring  with  them  no  contentment,  no 
repose,  while  they  heap  upon  us  boundless  necessities  and 
limitless  wants.  We  are  hurried  through  life  too  rapidly 
for  the  enjoyment  of  the  present,  and  the  good  we  see  in 
prospect  is  never  attained.  When  we  were  boys  we  longed 
to  be  men,  with  the  strength  and  intellect  of  men  ;  and  now 
that  we  are  men,  with  matured  powers  of  body  and  mind, 
true  to  our  organic  restlessness  and  discontent,  we  look  back 
with  longing  for  the  feelings  and  emotions  of  our  boyhood. 
What  a  glorious  thing  it  would  be  if  we  could  always  be 
young — not  boys  exactly,  but  at  that  stage  of  life  when  the 
physical  powers  are  most  active,  and  the  heart  most  buoy- 


WOULD  1  WERE  A  BOY  AGAIN.         301 

ant.  That,  to  my  thinking,  would  be  a  better  arrangement 
than  to  grow  old,  even  if  wa^ive  on  until  we  stumble  at  last 
from  mere  infirmity  into  the  grave,  looking  forward  in  dis- 
content one  half  of  our  lives,  and  backward  in  equal  discon- 
tent the  other." 

"  You  remind  me,"  said  Spalding,  "  of  a  little  incident, 
simple  in  itself,  but  which,  at  the  time,  made  a  deep  impres- 
sion upon  my  mind,  and  which  occurred  but  a  few  weeks 
ago.  Returning  from  my  usual  walk,  one  morning,  my  way 
lay  through  the  Capitol  Park.  The  trees,  covered  with  their 
young  and  fresh  foliage,  intertwined  their  arms  lovingly 
above  the  gravelled  walks,  forming  a  beautiful  arch  above, 
through  which  *the  sun  could  scarcely  look  even  in  the  splen- 
dor of  his  noon.  The  birds  sang  merrily  among  the  branches, 
and  the  odor  of  the  leaves  and  grass  as  the  dews  exhaled, 
gave  a  freshness  almost  of  the  forest  to  the  morning  air. 
On  the  walk  before  me  were  two  beautiful  children,  a  boy 
of  six  and  a  little  girl  of  four.  They  were  merry  and  happy 
as  the  birds  were,  and  with  an  arm  of  each  around  the  waist 
of  the  other,  they  went  hopping  and  skipping  up  and  down 
the  walks,  stopping  now  and  then  to  waltz,  to  swing  round 
and  round,  and  then  darting  away  again  with  their  hop  and 
skip,  too  full  of  hilarity,  too  instinct  with  vitality,  to  be  for  a 
moment  still.  The  flush  of  health  was  on  their  cheeks,  and 
the  warm  light  of  affection  in  their  eyes.  They  were  confid- 
ing, affectionate,  loving  little  children,  and  my  heart  warmed 
towards  them,  as  I  saw  them  waltzing  and  dancing  and  skip- 
ping about  under  the  green  foliage  of  the  trees. 


302  WOULD   I  WEBB   A   BOY   AGAIN. 

* 

"  '  Willy/  said  the  little  girl,  as  they  sat  down  on  the  low 
railing  of  the  grass  plats,  to^breathe  for  a  moment,  and 
listen  to  the  chirrup  and  songs  of  the  birds  in  the  boughs 
above  them,  '  Willy,  wouldn't  you  like  to  be  a  little  bird  ? ' 

"  '  A  little  bird,  Lizzie,'  replied  her  brother.  '  Why  should 
I  like  to  be  a  little  bird?' 

" '  Oh,  to  fly  around  among  the  branches  and  the  leaves 
upon  the  trees,'  said  Lizzie,  '  and  among  the  blossoms  when 
the  morning  is  warm,  and  the  sun  comes  out  bright  and 
clear  in  the  sky.  Oh  !  they  are  so  happy.' 

"  '  But  the  mornings  aint  always  warm,  and  the  sun  don't 
always  come  up  bright  and  clear  in  the  sky,  Lizzy,'  said  her 
brother,  '  and  the  leaves  and  blossoms  aint  always  on  the 
trees.  The  cold  storms  and  the  winter  come  and  kill  the 
blossoms  and  scatter  the  leaves,  and  what  would  you  do 
then  ?  I  shouldn't  like  to  be  a  bird,  but  I  should  like  to  be 
a  big  strong  man  like  father.' 

"  '  Please  tell  me  what  time  it  is  ? '  said  the  little  boy, 
addressing  me. 

"  I  told  him,  and  he  turned  to  his  little  sister,  saying, 
'  Come,  Lizzie,  we  must  go  ;  mother  said  we  must  be  home 
by  half-after  seven,  and  it's  most  that  now  ;'  and  he  put  his 
arm  lovingly  around  her  neck,  and  she  put  hers  around  his 
waist,  and  they  walked  away  towards  home,  talking  about 
the  leaves  and  the  blossoms  on  the  trees,  the  merry  little 
birds,  the  bright  sunshine,  and  the  pleasant  time  they  had 
had  in  the  park  that  morning. 

"  It  was  a  pleasant  thing  to  see  those  two  little  children, 


WOULD   I   WERE   A  BOY   AGAIN.  303 

* 

so  coufidiug,  so  earnest  and  true  in  their  young  affections, 
clinging  to  each  other  so  closely,  as  if  no  shadow  could 
ever  come  between  them,  or  turn  their  hearts  from  each 
other.  How  natural  was  that  simple  question  put  by  that 
little  girl  to  her  brother,  '  Wouldn't  you  like  to  be  a  little 
bird  ?'  It  was  the  thought  of  a  pure  young  mind,  that  sees 
only  the  bright  sunshine  of  to-day,  whose  life  is  in  the  pre- 
sent, and  to  which  there  is  no  forebodings  of  darkness  in  the 
future.  There  was  philosophy,  too,  in  the  answer  of  her 
brother,  a  simple  but  suggestive  sermon,  'But  the  sun' 
said  he,  '  don't  always  come  up  bright  and  clear  ;  the  morn- 
ings aint  always  warm  ;  the  leaves  and  blossoms  aint  always 
on  the  trees.  The  cold  storms,  and  the  winter  come  and 
kill  the  blossoms  and  scatter  the  leaves,  and  what  would 
you  do  then  ?'  To  finite  minds  like  ours,  it  would  seem  to 
have  been  a  more  beautiful  arrangement  of  nature,  could 
it  have  been,  that  we  could  always  have  the  spring  time  in 
its  glory  with  us  ;  if  the  leaves  and  the  blossoms  were 
always  young  and  fresh  and  fragrant ;  if  the  cold  storms  of 
winter  could  never  come  to  '  kill  the  blossoms  and  scatter 
the  leaves  ; '  if  the  sun  would  always  come  up  bright  and 
clear  ;  if  the  birds  were  always  merry,  and  their  glad  voices 
always  on  the  air.  This  world  would  be  a  paradise  then, 
and  one  older  and  wiser  in  the  learning  of  the  schools,  but 
not  wiser  or  better  in  the  heart's  affections,  than  that  little 
girl,  might  well  wish  to  be  a  little  bird,  to  fly  around  among 
the  branches,  the  green  leaves,  and  the  blossoms  on  the 
trees.  And  yet  what  presumption  in  finite  man  to  sit  in 


304:  WHATEVER   IS,    IS   BEST. 

» 

judgment  upon,  or  criticise  the  wisdom  of  the  Omnipotent 
God  !  How  know  we  but  that  a  single  change,  the  slight- 
est alteration  of  a  simple  law,  would  go  jarring  through  all 
the  universe,  throwing  everything  into  confusion,  and  bring- 
ing utter  chaos,  where  now  all  is  order.  The  mother  sees 
her  little  child  die,  she  lays  it  in  its  coffin,  and  surrenders  it 
to  the  grave,  and  her  heart  rebels  against  the  Providence 
that  snatched  away  her  treasure.  In  her  agony,  she  appeals 
reproachfully  to  Heaven,  and  asks,  '  Why  am  I  thus  be- 
reaved ?'  Foolish  mother  I  impeach  not  the  wisdom  of 
your  bereavement.  Mysterious  as  it  may  be,  know  this,  that 
in  the  councils  of  eternity  your  sorrows  were  considered,  and 
the  decree  which  took  from  you  your  darling,  was  ordered 
in  mercy.  Pestilence  sweeps  over  the  land  ;  a  wail  is  on 
the  ah*.  Peace,  mourners,  be  still !  The  pestilence  has  a 
mission  of  mercy,  mysterious  as  it  may  be  .to  us.  The  storm 
lashes  the  ocean  into  fury  ;  tall  ships,  freighted  with  human 
souls,  go  down  into  its  relentless  depths  ;  a  shriek  of  agony 
comes  gurgling  up  from  the  devouring  waters  ;  a  cry  of  woe 
is  heard  from  a  thousand  homes  over  the  wrecked  and  the 
lost.  Peace,  again,  mourners  I  The  storm  has  a  mission  of 
mercy.  It  may  never  be  comprehended  by  us  here,  but 
when  the  veil  shall  be  lifted,  as  in  God's  good  time  it  doubt- 
less will  be,  we  shall  see  how  the  pestilence  and  the  storm, 
that  cost  so  many  tears,  were  essential  to  the  harmony  of  a 
glorious  system,  a  perfect  plan,  and  that  seeming  sorrow  was 
at  last  the  occasion  .of  unspeakabie  joy.  -Let  no  man  say 
that  this  or  that  law,  or  operation  of  nature,  were  better 


YOUTHFUL   ASPIRATIONS.  305 

changed,  until  he  can  fathom  the  designs  of  God  ;  till  he 
can  create  a  planet,  and  send  it  on  its  everlasting  round  ; 
till  he  can  place  a  star  in  the  firmament ;  till  he  can  breathe 
upon  a  statue,  the  workmanship  of  his  own  hands,  and  be 
obeyed  when  he  commands  it  to  walk  forth  a  thing  of  life  ; 
till  he  can  dip  his  hand  into  chaos  and  throw  off  worlds. 
The  '  cold  storms  of  winter '  are  essential  to  the  enjoyment 
of  the  brightness  and  glory,  the  genial  sunshine,  the  pleasant 
foliage,  the  blossoms  and  the  odors  of  spring.  They  have 
their  uses,  and  chill  and  dreary  and  desolate  as  they  may  be, 
they  are  parts  of  an  arrangement  ordered  by  infinite  good- 
ness and  omnipotent  wisdom. 

" '  I  should  like  to  be  a  big  strong  man  like  father  is  !' 
How  like  a  boy  was  this  ?  Thirsting  for  the  strength,  the 
might  and  power  of  manhood  !  And  this  is  the  aspiration 
of  the  young  heart  always  ;  to  be  mature,  strong  to  grapple 
with  the  cares,  and  wrestle  with  the  stern  actualities  of  life. 
How  little  of  these  does  childhood  know  I  How  little  does 
it  calculate  the  chances,  that  when,  in  the  long  future,  it 
shall  have  attained  the  full  strength  and  maturity  of  life, 
when  manhood  shall  be  in  the  glory  and  strength  of  its 
prime,  and  it  looks  forward  into  the  dark  cloud  beyond,  and 
backward  into  the  bright  sunshine  of  the  past,  the  aspira- 
tion, the  hope  will  change  into  regret,  and  the  yearning  of 
the  heart,  speaking  from  its  silent  depths,  will  be,  '  would  I 
were  a  boy  again  I' " 


CHAPTER   XXVIII. 

HEADED  DOWN  STREAM — RETURN  TO  TUPPER's  LAKE — THE   CAMP 
ON   THE    ISLAND. 

WE  started  down  stream  again  at  six  o'clock  in  the  morn- 
ing, intending,  if  possible,  to  reach  Tupper's  Lake  before  en- 
camping for  the  night.  It  would  make  for  us  a  busy  day  to 
accomplish  so  much  ;  but  going  down  stream  and  down  hill 
are  very  different  things  from  going  up,  as  any  gentleman 
may  satisfy  himself  by  rowing  against  a  current  of  two  miles 
the  hour,  or  toiling  up  an  ascent  of  three  or  four  hundred 
feet  to  the  mile,  and  then  retracing  his  steps.  We  accom- 
plished more  than  half  the  distance,  and  that  over  the  worst 
of  the  journey,  by  twelve  o'clock,  and  we  halted  for  dinner 
and  a  siesta.  If  there  is  one  thing  in  life  which  can  lay  any 
claim  to  being  considered  a  positive  luxury,  it  is  a  nap 
on  a  mossy  bank,  in  the  deep  shadows  of  the  forest  trees, 
after  a  hearty  meal,  of  a  warm  summer  day.  There  should 
be,  in  order  to  its  full  appreciation,  a  mixture  of  weariness 
with  a  due  proportion  of  laziness.  Too  much  of  either  de- 

*       806 


PROVISIONS    GETTING   80ABCE.  307 

tracts  from  the  enjoyment  of  its  beatitudes.  To  fed  the  sen- 
sation of  resting,  that  weariness  is  leaving  you,  and  that  the 
process  of  recuperation  is  an  active,  living  agency,  going  on 
all  through  the.  system,  while  the  natural  love  of  repose  is 
being  gratified  as  an  independent  emotion,  constitute  the 
very  perfection  of  mere  animal  enjoyment.  The  musquitoes 
at  midday  have  gone  to  their  rest,  or  if  a  straggler  comes 
buzzing  and  singing  about  your  ears,  you  are  lulled  rather 
than  disturbed  by  his  song.  If  he  takes  his  drop  of  blood 
from  your  veins,  the  tickling  of  his  tiny  lance  is  but  a  plea- 
sant titilation,  and  you  let  him  feed  on,  almost  grateful  for  his 
kindness  in  keeping  you  from  sleeping  too  soundly,  or  losing 
in  utter  oblivion  the  full  extent  of  the  luxury  of  perfect  repose. 
After  an  hour's  rest,  we  launched  our  little  fleet  upon  the 
river  again,  and  while  the  sun  was  yet  above  the  western  high- 
lands, we  stood  upon  the  broad  flat  rock  at  the  mouth  of 
Bog  River,  looking  out  over  Tupper's  Lake,  one  of  the  most 
beautiful  sheets  of  water  that  the  sun  or  the  stars  ever  looked 
upon.  Our  sea-biscuit  was  getting  low,  and  our  egress  from 
the  wilderness  was  therefore  becoming,  in  some  sort,  a  neces- 
sity. There  was  no  lack  of  venison,  or  fish,  but  these  are 
rather  luxuries  than  actual  necessaries,  and  they  were  be- 
coming somewhat  stale  to  us.  The  staff  of  life  is  bread,  and 
of  this  we  had  but  two  days'  supply.  It  is  entirely  true  that 
our  jerked  venison,  now  dry  and  hard  as  chips,  could,  if 
necessary,  be  made  to  furnish,  to  some  extent,  a  substitute  ; 
still,  while  "  it  is  written  that  man  shall  not  live  by  bread 


308  A   QUERY. 

alone,"  it  is  equally  the  law  that  he  cannot  very  well  get 
along  without  it. 

We  launched  our  boats  upon  the  lake  and  rowed  to  the 
head  of  Long  Island,  where  we  put  up  our  tents  for  the 
night.  I  have  spoken  so  often  of  the  loveliness  of  the  even- 
ings on  these  beautiful  lakes,  that  to  attempt  a  description 
of  the  one  we  enjoyed  on  this  romantic  island,  would  be  only 
a  tiresome  repetition.  But  there  was  a  splendor  about  the 
heavens  above,  and  their  counterpart  in  the  depths  below, 
which  I  have  scarcely  ever  seen  equalled.  There  was  no 
moon  in  the  early  evening,  and  so  pure  and  clear  was  the 
atmosphere,  so  moveless  and  still  the  waters,  that  the  stars 
seemed  to  come  out  in  vaster  numbers,  and  with  an  intenser 
glow,  and  to  be  reflected  back  from  away  down  in  the  lake 
with  a  brighter  refulgence  ;  the  hills  along  the  shore  seemed 
to  stand  up  in  bolder  outline  ;  the  bays  to  lay  in  deeper 
shadow  ;  while  the  tall  peaks  stood  in  grim  solemnity,  like 
pillars  supporting  the  mighty  arches  of  the  sky. 

"  I  was  asking  myself,"  said  Smith,  as  we  sat  looking  out 
over  the  water,  in  the  evening,  or  gazing  down  into  the 
glowing  depths,  and  listening  to  the  night  voices,  faint  and 
far  off  in  the  old  forests,  as  they  came  floating  over  the  lake, 
"  I  was  asking  myself,  as  we  journeyed  around  the  falls  to-day, 
and  as  we  stood  on  the  rock  where  the  river  comes  leaping 
down  and  plunging  into  the  lake,  whether  the  march  of  im- 
provement would  ever  spread  a  Lowell  around  those  falls,  or 
subject  those  wild  waters  to  the  uses  of  civilization.  Whether 


309 


progress  would  ever  invade  those  mountain  regions  ;  or  the 
ingenuity  of  man  ever  discover  uses  for  these  rocks  and 
boulders,  or  coin  wealth  from  the  sterile  and  sandy  soil  of 
this  old  wilderness  ?  Hitherto  a  country  like  this  has  been 
regarded  of  no  value,  save  for  the  timber  which  it  grows  ; 
and  when  that  is  exhausted,  as  fit  only  to  be  abandoned  to 
sterility  and  desolation.  But  who  can  tell  whether  there 
may  not  be  iij  these  boulders,  these  rocks,  this  sandy  and 
unproductive  soil,  unknown  wealth,  held  in  reserve  to  reward 
the  researches  of  science  in  its  utilitarian  explorations.  I 
am  not  now  speaking  of  gold,  or  silver,  or  any  other  dross, 
which  men  have  hitherto  wasted  their  toil  to  accumulate  ; 
but  of  new  discoveries,  and  new  purposes  to  which  these  now 
useless  things  may  be  applied  ;  discoveries  which  may  send 
the  tide  of  emigration  surging  up  from  the  valleys  to  moun- 
tain regions  like  these.  May  it  not  be  that  science,  while 
delving  among  the  wrecks  of  vanished  ages,  may  stumble 
upon  some  new  principle,  or  combination  of  the  elements  of 
which  these  old  rocks  are  composed,  that  shall  give  them  a 
value  beyond  that  of  the  richest  lowlands,  and  make  them 
the  centre  of  a  derive  and  cultivated  population  ?" 

"  Your  question,"  answered  Spalding,  "  is  suggestive. 
Did  you  ever  think  what  gigantic  strides  the  world  has  made 
within  the  memory  of  men  now  living,  and  who  are  yet  un- 
willing to  be  counted  as  old  ?  Look  back  for  only  fifty  years, 
and  note  what  a  stupendous  leap  it  has  taken  !  Where 
then  were  the  iron  roads  over  which  the  locomotive  goes 
thundering  on  its  mission  of  civilization  ?  where  the  tele- 


310  CAUSES   OF   PROGRESS. 

graph,  that  mocks  at  time  and  annihilates  space  ?  Hark  1 
there  is  a  new  sound  breaking  the  stillness  of  midnight,  and 
startling  the  mguntain  echoes  from  their  sleep  of  ages  !  It 
is  the  scream  of  the  steam-whistle,  the  snort  of  the  iron  horse, 
the  thunder  of  his  hoofs  of  steel,  rushing  forward  with  the 
speed  of  the  wind,  shaking  the  ground  like  an  earthquake  as 
he  moves.  A  new  motor  has  been  harnessed  into  the  service 
of  man,  and  made  to  fly  with  his  messages  swifter  than  sound  ? 
It  is  the  winged  lightning  ;  and  as  it  flashes  along  the  wires 
stretched  from  city  to  city,  and  across  continents,  carries 
with  unerring  certainty  every  word  committed  to  its  charge. 
Ocean  steamers  have  made  but  a  ferriage  of  seas.  The 
photographic  art  has  made  even  the  light  of  the  sun  a  sub- 
stitute for  the  pencil  of  the  artist.  Everywhere,  in  all  the 
departments  of  science,  in  every  branch  of  the  arts,  improve- 
ment, progress,  has  been  going  on  with  a  sublimity  of 
achievement  unknown  in  any  age  of  the  past.  These  things 
are  mighty  motors  which  push  along  civilization,  throwing  a 
wonderful  energy  into  the  forward  impulse  of  the  world. 
But  remember,  that  though  these  results  are  brought  about 
by  the  advance  in  the  mechanic  arts,  yet  that  advance  is 
based  upon  a  deeper  philosophy,  a  profounder  wisdom,  than 
mere  perfectability  in  those  arts.  Take  the  steam-engine — it 
is  a  great  contrivance,  a  wonderful  invention  ;  but  the  great- 
est of  all  was  the  discovery  of  the  principle  and  operation,  the 
practical  phenomena  of  steam  itself.  The  telegraphic  ma- 
chine was  a  great  invention  ;  but  the  great  thing  was  the 
development  of  the  science  of  electricity,  the  discovery  of 


EFFECT  OF   PROGRESS.  311 

the  secret  agency  which  sent  forward  the  thought  entrusted 
to  it  swifter  than  light.  The  daguerrian  instruments,  the 
metailic  plates,  the  prepared  paper,  were  great  inventions  j 
but  vastly  greater  was  the  discovery  and  development  of 
the  phenomena  and  affinities  of  light,  the  mystery  of  solar 
influences. 

"  There  is  hope  for  the  world  in  all  this  mighty  progress, 
for  with  it  will  one  day  come  the  development  of  the  true 
nature  and  theory  of  government,  the  true  solution  of  the 
great  theory  of  the  social  compact,  the  proper  adjustment 
of  the  relations  of  man  to  man,  a  right  appreciation  of  the 
nature  and  value  of  human  rights.  It  is  bringing  forward 
the  masses,  elevating  the  millions  who  work.  It  will  rouse 
into  activity  their  innate  energies,  and  bring  forth  their 
inward  might.  It  creates  THOUGHT  to  guide  the  hands  that 
set  all  this  vast  machinery  in  motion.  It  diffuses  and 
strengthens  intellectuality,  and  the  pride  of  intellectuality, 
making  of  the  men  who  work  something  more  than  mere 
machines  themselves.  It  is  developing  and  perfecting  a 
mightier  engine  than  any  of  man's  invention  ;  one  that 
tyrants  cannot  always  control,  that  kings  cannot  always 
manage.  That  engine  is  the  human  mind.  Like  the  steam- 
engine,  it  is  gathering  power,  and  capability  for  the  exercise 
of  power,  and  the  time  will  come  when  it  will  go  crashing, 
with  resistless  energy,  among  thrones,  overturning  despot- 
isms, upheaving  dynasties,  sweeping  away  those  false  theo- 
ries of  governmental  institutions,  which  guarantee  to  one 
class  of  people  a  life  of  luxurious  idleness,  coupled  with  a 


312  MAN'S   FUTUKE   DESTINY. 

prerogative  to  rule;  and  which  dooms  another  class  to  an 
hereditary  servitude,  changeless  as  fate,  and  relentless  as 
the  grave.  It  will  vindicate  the  rights,  and  ennoble  the 
destiny  of  the  masses  of  the  people  who  work. 

"  But  where  is  this  career  of  progress  to  end  ?  Is  there  a 
limit  to  this  onward  movement  ?  We  know  that  the  world 
has  made  greater  advancement  in  the  present  century,  than 
it  did  in  the  five  thousand  years  preceding  it,  and  that  new 
discoveries  in  the  sciences  and  the  arts  are  being  made 
every  day.  Nature  has  been  compelled,  and  is  still  being 
compelled,  to  yield  up  secrets  which  have  been  for  centuries 
regarded  as  beyond  the  power  of  human  capacity  to  pene- 
trate. How  is  this  ?  Is  the  world  to  go  on  thus,  always  ? 
Is  this  rush  of  progress  to  remain  unchecked,  always  ?  If 
so,  what  mystery,  even  of  Omnipotent  wisdom,  will  remain 
unsolved  at  last  ?  What  results  will  not  human  energy  be 
able  to  accomplish  ?  Is  the  tune  to  come  when  man  shall 
be  able  to  shape  out  of  clay,  fashion  from  wood,  or  stone, 
an  image  of  himself,  and,  breathing  upon  it,  command  it  to 
walk  forth  a  thing  of  life,  and  be  obeyed  ?  Will  he  be  able 
to  search  out  a  universal  antidote  to  disease  ?  Will  he  dis- 
cover the  means  of  supplying  the  human  frame  with  such 
recuperative  power  as  will  nullify  the  law  that  prescribes  to 
all  flesh  the  dilapidation  and  decay  of  age,  of  weakness  and 
of  death  ?  Will  he  search  out  some  secret  agency  which 
will  hold  his  body  in  perpetual  youth,  defying  alike  the 
attritions  of  age,  and  the  ravages  of  disease  ?  Will  he  dis- 
cover how  it  is  that  time  saps  the  strength,  and  steals  away 


A  NEW   ELIXIE.  313 

the  vigor  of  the  human  system,  and  a  remedy  for  exhausted 
and  wasted  energies  ?  It  is  not  my  purpose  to  advance  a 
theory  based  upon  an  affirmative  answer  to  these  inquiries, 
but  when  we  contemplate  the  stupendous  pace  at  which  the 
world  is  moving  forward,  who  will  venture  to  assert  where 
the  limit  to  this  progress  is  to  be  found  ?  Yon  tell  me  that 
man  cannot  create;  that  he  can  only  combine  into  new 
shapes  elements  which  God  has  furnished  to  his  hands.  I 
do  not  know  this.  That  he  has  not  created  I  admit;  but 
that  he  has  not  capabilities,  as  yet  undeveloped,  as  a  crea- 
tor, I  do  not  KNOW.  I  will  not  venture  the  assertion  that 
the  tune  will  ever  come  when  he  will  have  discovered 
wherein  lies  the  mystery  of  life;  that  he  will  ever  find  an 
antidote  to  disease;  that  he  will  search  out  some  recupera- 
tive agency  stronger  than  the  law  of  decay,  and  that  will 
hold  the  human  system  in  the  perpetual  vigor,  and  bloom, 
and  beauty  of  maturity.  I  will  not  assert  that  science  will, 
at  last,  be  carried  to  such  perfection,  that  there  shall  be  no 
more  infirmities  of  age;  that  the  pestilence  will  be  stayed 
from  walking  in  the  darkness,  and  destruction  from  wasting 
at  noonday;  that  men  will  cease  to  grow  old,  save  in  years, 
or  that  death  will  be  compelled  to  seek  its  victims  only  = 
through  the  channel  of  accidents,  against  which  forecast 
will  not,  and  science  has  no  opportunity  to  guard.  What 
I  mean  to  say  is,  that  I  do  not  KNOW  that  just  such  results 
are  beyond  the  capabilities  of  human  progress.  Measuring 
the  future  by  the  past,  I  cannot  demonstrate  that  such 
results  may  not  one  day  be  attained.'- 

14 


314:  CAUSES   OF   HUMAN   DECAY. 

"  The  good  time  of  which  you  speak,"  said  the  Doctor, 
"  when  there  shall  be  no  more  infirmity  of  age,  no  growing 
old,  save  in,  years  ;  when  there  shall  be  no  wasting  by 
disease,  through  the  perfectability  of  the  curative  science, 
or  the  discovery  of  some  recuperative  agency,  stronger  than 
the  law  of  decay,  will  never  come.  When  it  is  granted,  as 
an  abstract  proposition,  that  the  capabilities  of  science  are 
sufficient  to  counteract  the  mere  wasting  influence  of  time 
upon  the  human  system,  you  are  met  by  a  great  practical 
fact  which  will  overturn  your  theory.  The  excesses  of  the 
world  are  a  much  more  fruitful  source  of  disease  and  death 
than  the  attritions  of  age.  There  is  a  constant  struggle  on 
the  part  of  nature  to  build  up  and  beautify,  to  strengthen 
and  recuperate,  against  the  results  of  human  excesses.  Not 
one  in  a  million  of  those  who  pass  away  every  year,  die  from 
the  effects  of  age,  as  a  primary  cause.  Hence,  you  must  not 
only  perfect  science,  but  you  must  perfect  the  morals  and 
the  habits  of  the  human  family,  before  you  can  exempt  them 
from  decay  and  death.  The  instincts  of  men,  the  appetencies 
which  they  possess  in  common  with  the  whole  animal  crea- 
tion, are  each  made  the  source  of  disease,  and  premature 
decay.  Some  men  eat  too  much  ;  some  drink  too  much; 
some  sleep  too  much  ;  some  waste  their  vital  energies  in 
sensual  indulgence,  while  all  have  some  vicious  habit  (I 
mean  with  reference  to  the  preservation  of  life),  known  or 
unknown  to  the  world,  which,  sooner  or  later,  undermines 
the  constitution,  and  helps  on  the  work  of  dilapidation. 
These  excesses  will  always  exist;  they  are  inherent  in  the 


CAUSES   OF   HUMAN   DECAY.  315 

human  constitution,  resulting  from  the  very  nature  of  man; 
they  are  an  inevitable  sequence  of  his  physical  structure, 
and  his  intellectual  life.  To  avoid  them  implies  absolute 
perfectability  in  every  attribute,  and  that  makes  him  a  god. 
Until  man  shall  have  become  infinite  in  wisdom,  as  well  as 
immaculate  in  purity,  he  will  continue  to  indulge,  to  a 
greater  or  less  extent,  in  excesses  of  some  sort,  and  those 
excesses  will  always  be  an  overmatch,  when  superadded  to 
the  natural  law  of  decay,  for  the  recuperative  efforts  of 
science.  You  must  create  a  radical  reform  in  every  depart- 
ment of  life;  in  business,  in  social  habits,  in  the  fashions, 
in  the  mode  of  living,  in  everything,  before  you  can  hope  to 
reach  the  Utopia  of  which  you  speak.  The  outrages  perpe- 
trated upon  nature  by  the  conventionalities  of  the  world 
alone,  would  be  an  insurmountable  barrier  to  the  realization 
of  your  idea.  The  necessity  for  excessive  labor  to  satisfy 
artificial  wants  hews  away  at  one  end  of  society,  and  the 
indulgence  of  idleness  and  ease,  at  the  other.  Exposure  to 
the  elements,  to  heat  and  cold,  buries  its  millions;  and  too 
great  seclusion,  in  pursuit  of  comfort  in  heated  rooms,  and 
a  confined  and  corrupted  atmosphere,  buries  its  millions 
also.  Lack  of  wholesome  food  fills  thousands  of  graves, 
and  the  results  of  abundance  fill  other  thousands.  Lack  of 
appropriate  clothing,  fitted  for  the  constitution  and  the  sea- 
sons, engenders  disease  and  death;  and  an  excess  of  the 
same  article,  fashioned  as  stupendous  folly  only  can  fashion 
it,  engenders  vastly  more  disease  and  death.  There  are  ele- 
ments of  decay  and  death'  furnished  to  men  and  women, 


316  FAITH   IN   A   HEREAFTER. 

tempting  their  weakness,  and  forced  upon  their  adoption  by 
the  conventionalities  of  life,  every  day,  every  hour,  and 
everywhere.  It  is  a  part  of  our  civilization,  an  offshoot  of 
the  very  progress  of  which  you  speak,  a  sort  of  necessity  in 
practical  results,  at  least,  that  men  shall  so  live  as  to  wage 
war  against  nature,  and  against  themselves;  that  they  shall 
hurry  themselves,  or  be  hurried  by  inevitable  circumstances, 
into  the  grave  at  the  earliest  possible  moment.  You  may, 
therefore,  dismiss  from  your  mind,  my  friend,  the  fanciful 
idea,  that  science  will  ever  enable  the  world  to  dispense 
with  the  cemeteries,  or  that  the  cities  of  the  dead  will, 
through  its  agency,  cease  to  flourish.  You  will  find  that  as 
science  closes  up  one  avenue  to  the  grave,  men  will  force  a 
way  to  it  through  another.  We  shall  have  to  live  as  our 
fathers  lived,  be  subject  to  disease  as  they  were,  grow  old 
as  they  grew  old,  and  die  as  they  died.  We  must  submit 
to  the  law  which  has  written  the  doom  of  decay  upon  all 
things,  which  has  made  us  mortal,  and  when  our  time  comes 
we  must  be  content  to  pass  away  as  the  countless  millions 
who  preceded  us  have  done." 

"  Well,"  said  Spalding,  as  he  knocked  the  ashes  from  his 
pipe,  and  rose  to  retire,  under  the  cover  of  the  tent,  for  the 
night,  "be  it  as  you  say,  what  matters  it ?  'I  would  not 
live  always.'  Give  to  us  the  hope  of  an  hereafter,  a  faith 
that  looks  through  the  valley  of  the  shadow  of  death,  and 
sees  immortality,  a  world  of  glory  beyond,  and  what  matters 
it  how  soon  the  hour  of  our  departure  shall  come  ?" 


CHAPTER  XXIX. 

A  MYSTERIOUS  SOUND — TREED  BY  A  MOOSE — ANGLING  FOB 
A  POWDER  HORN — AN  UNHEEDED  WARNING  AND  THE  CON- 
SEQUENCES. 

As  Spalding  ceased  speaking,  there  came  from  away  off, 
over  the  forest  in  the  direction  of  the  tall  mountain  peaks, 
a  faint  sonnd  like  the  boom  of  a  cannon,  so  distant  that  it 
could  scarcely  be  heard,  and  yet  it  was  distinct  and  palpable 
to  the  senses.  I  say^that  it  came  from  the  direction  of  the 
mountains,  seen  dim  and  shadowy  in  the  distance,  and  yet 
none  of  us  were  quite  sure  of  this.  We  all  heard  it,  but 
not  one  of  us  could  assert  that  the  direction  from  which  it 
came  was  a  fixed  fact  in  his  mind. 

"  There,  Judge "  said  Cullen,  "  I've  hearn  that  sound 
often  among  the  mountains,  and  when  I've  been  driftin' 
about  on  these  lakes,  i!  never  seems  much  louder  or  nearer. 
It  always  seems  to  come  from  the  mountains,  and  yet  you'll 
hear  it  while  shantyin'  at  their  base,  and  it  sounds  just  as 
faint  and  far  off  as  it  did  just  now.  What  it  is,  or  where  it 

817 


318  •-    A  MY6TEBIOU8   PHENOMENON. 

comes  from,  I  won't  undertake  to  say.  The  old  Ingins  who, 
five  and  twenty  year  ago,  fished  and  hunted  over  these  regions, 
told  of  it  as  a  thing  to  wonder  at,  and  that  it  was  handed 
along  down  from  generation  to  generation,  as  one  of  the 
mysteries  of  this  wilderness.  I  mind  once  I  was  out  among 
the  Adirondacks,  trappin'  martin  and  sable.  I  shantied  for 
a  week  with  Crop,  under  the  shadow  of  Mount  Marcy.  It 
was  twenty  odd  year  ago,  and  that  old  mountain  stood  a 
good  deal  further  from  a  clearin'  than  it  does  now.  Crop 
and  I  had  a  good  many  hard  days'  work  that  trip  ;  but  we 
got  a  full  pack  of  martin  and  sable  skins,  and  two  or  three 
wolf  scalps,  besides  a  bear  and  a  painter,  and  we  didn't  com- 
plain. Wai,  one  afternoon,  we  put  up  a  shanty  in  an  open 
spot  two  miles  from  our  regular  campiu'  ground,  and  built 
our  fire  for  the  night.  There  was  no  moon,  and  though  the 
stars  shone  out  bright  and  clear,  yet  in  the  deep  shadow  of 
the  forest  it  was  dark  and  gloomy  enough.  We  had  eaten 
our  supper,  and  I  was  smokin'  my  last  pipe  before  layin' 
myself  away,  when  all  at  once  the  forest  was  lighted  up 
like  the  day.  It  was  all  the  more  light  from  the  sudden 
glare  which  broke  upon  the  darkness,  and  there,  for  an 
instant,  stood  the  old  woods,  lighted  up  like  noon,  every 
tree  distinct,  every  mountain,  every  rock,  and  valley,  as  per- 
fect and  plain  to  be  seen  as  if  the  sun  was  standin'  right 
above  us  in  the  sky.  Crop  was  as  much  astonished  as  I 
was,  and  he  crept  to  my  feet  and  trembled  like  a  coward,  as 
he  crouched  beside  them.  I  looked  up,  and  flyin'  across  the 
heavens  was  a  great  ball  of  fire,  lookin'  for  all  the  world  as 


A   BULL   MOOSE   SOMETIMES   DANGEKOTTS.  319 

if  the  son  had  broke  loose,  and  was  runnin'  away  in  a  fright. 
A  long  trail  of  light  flashed  and  streamed  along  the  sky 
where  it  passed.  It  was  out  of  sight  in  a  moment,  and  the 
fiery  tail  it  left  behind  faded  into  darkness.  A  little  while 
after,  maybe  ten  minutes  after  it  disappeared,  that  boomin' 
sound  came  driftin'  down  the  wind,  and  I  somehow  tho't 
it  was  mixed  up  hi  some  way  with  that  great  ball  of  fire 
that  flew  across  the  sky.  Maybe  I  was  wrong,  but  I've 
always  tho't  it  was  the  bustin'  into  pieces  of  that  fiery  thing 
that  lighted  up  the  old  woods  that  night,  that  broke  the 
forest  stillness,  like  a  far  off  cannon.  I  never  heard  it  so 
loud  at  any  other  time,  and  when  I  hear  it  now,  I  always 
say  to  myself,  there  goes  another  of  Nater's  fireballs  into 
shivers.  I've  hearn  it  in  the  daytime,  when  the  air  was  still, 
and  the  forest  voices  were  hushed,  but  I  never  at  any  other 
time,  day  or  night,  saw  what  I  suspicioned  occasioned  it. 
The  Ingins  used  to  say  it  came  from  the  mountains,  but 
it  don't.  I've  hearu  some  folks  pretend  that  it  comes  from 
the  bowels  of  the  airth,  but  it  don't ;  its  a  thing  of  the  air, 
and  I've  a  notion  it  travels  a  mighty  long  way  from  its 
startin'  place  afore  it  reaches  us. 

"  Talkin'  about  that  trip  among  the  Adirondacks,  puts  me 
in  mind  of  an  adventer  I  had  with  a  bull  moose,  on  one 
occasion  among  them.  There  are  times  when  sich  an  ani- 
mal is  dangerous.  I've  hearn  tell  of  elephants  gittin'  crazy 
and  breakin'  loose  from  their  keepers,  or  killin'  them,  ami 
makin'  a  general  smash  of  whatever  comes  hi  their  way.  1 
believe  its  so  sometimes  with  a  bull  moose ;  and  when 


320          CROP  CHASED  BY  THE  BUCK. 

the  fit  is  on  the  animal  forgets  its  timid  nater,  and  is  bold 
and  fierce  as  a  tiger.  I've  seen  two  sich  in  my  day  ;  one  of 
'em  sent  me  into  a  tree,  and  the  other  put  me  around  a  great 
hemlock  a  dozen  or  twenty  times,  a  good  deal  faster  than  I 
like  to  travel  in  a  general  way,  and  if  I  hadn't  hamstrung 
him  with  my  huntin'  knife,  maybe  he'd  have  been  chasm'  ine 
round  that  tree  yet.  Wai,  as  I  was  sayin'  I  was  out  among 
the  Adirondacks  one  fall,  airly  in  November  ;  J'd  wounded  a 
deer,  and  sent  Crop  forward  on  his  trail  to  overtake  and 
secure  him.  It  was  a  big  buck,  with  long  horns,  and  Crop 
had  a  pretty  good  general  idea  of  what  sich  things  meant. 
He  was  cautions  about  cultivatin'  too  close  an  acquaintance 
with  such  an  animal,  unless  something  oncommon  obligated 
him  to  do  so.  I  heard  him  bayin'  a  little  way  over  a  ridge 
layiu'  gist  beyond  where  I  shot  the  buck.  I  warn't  in 
any  great  hurry,  for  I  knew  Crop  would  attend  to  his  case, 
and  I  tho't  I'd  wipe  out  my  rifle  afore  I  loaded  it  again.  I 
was  standin'  by  the  upturned  roots  of  a  tall  fir  tree  that  had 
been  blown  down,  and  in  fallin'  had  lodged  in  a  crotch  of  a 
great  birch,  maybe  twenty  feet  from  the  ground,  and  broke 
off.  I  stepped  onto  the  butt  of  the  fallen  spruce,  and  was 
takin'  my  time  to  clean  my  gun,  when  I  heard  a  crashin' 
among  the  brush  on  the  other  side  of  the  ridge,  as  if  some 
mighty  big  animal  was  comin'  my  way.  I  walked  pretty 
quick  along  up  the  slopin'  log  till  I  was,  maybe  fifteen  feet 
from  the  ground,  and  I  saw  Crop  comin'  over  the  ridge,  in 
what  the  Doctor  would  call  a  high  state  of  narvous  excite- 
ment, with  his  tail  between  his  legs,  lookin'  back  over  his 


TEEED   BY   A  MOOSE.  321 

shoulder,  and  expressin'  his  astonishment  in  a  low,  quick 
bark,  at  every  jump,  at  something  he  seemed  to  regard  as 
mighty  onpleasant  on  his  trail.  I  didn't  have  to  wait  long 
to  find  out  what  it  was,  for  about  the  biggest  bull  moose  I 
ever  happened  to  see,  came  crashin'  like  a  steam-engine  after 
him.  He  wasn't  more  than  two  rods  behind  the  dog,  and  if 
I  ever  saw  an  ugly  looking  beast,  that  moose  was  the  one. 
Every  hair  seemed  to  stand  towards  his  head,  and  if  he 
wasn't  in  earnest  I  never  saw  an  animal  that  was.  He  was 
puttin'  in  his  best  jumps,  and  the  way  he  hurried  up  Crop's 
cakes  was  a  thing  to  be  astonished  at.  The  dog  didn't  see 
me,  and  seemed  to  be  principled  agin  stoppin'  to  inquire 
my  whereabouts.  He  dashed  under  the  log  where  I  stood, 
and  the  moose  after  him  like  mad.  He  seemed  to  be 
expectin'  aid  and  comfort  from  me,  as  the  papers  say,  and 
was  wonderin',  no  doubt,  where  me  and  my  rifle  was  all  this 
tune.  I  called  after  him,  but  he  was  in  a  hurry  and  couldn't 
stop,  for  there  was  a  thing  he  didn't  care  about  shakin' 
hands  with,  not  three  rods  from  his  tail.  He  heard  me, 
though,  and  took  a  circle  round  a  great  boulder,  and  the 
moose  after  him,  and  as  he  got  straightened  my  way,  I 
called  him  again,  and  he  saw  me.  He  leaped  onto  the  log 
and  came  runnin'  up  to  where  I  stood,  and  was  mighty  glad 
to  be  out  of  the  way  of  them  big  hoofs  and  horns  that  were 
after  him.  He  was  safe  now,  and  he  opened  his  mouth  and 
let  off  a  good  deal  of  tall  barkin'  at  his  enemy.  The  moose 
saw  us,  and  his  fury  was  the  greater  because  he  couldn't  get 
at  ua.  He  kept  chargiu'  back  and  forth  under  the  log 


322  CTJLUEN   IN   A  FIX. 

we  were  perched  on,  and  if  there  wasn't  malice  in  his  eye,  I 
wouldn't  say  so. 

"  When  I  first  saw  him,  I  was  standin'  with  the  butt  of  my 
rifle  on  the  log,  my  hand  graspin'  the  barrel,  and  as  I  caught 
it  up  suddenly  to  load,  the  string  of  my  powder-horn  caught 
between  the  muzzle  and  the  ramrod,  broke,  and  the  horn 
fell  to  the  ground.  Here  was.  a  fix  for  a  hunter  to  be  in. 
My  rule  was  empty,  and  every  grain  of  powder  I  had  in  the 
world  was  in  the  horn,  fifteen  feet  below  me,  on  the  ground. 
To  go  down  after  it  was  a  thing  I  was  principled  agin 
undertaking  considerin'  the  circumstance  of  that  bull  moose 
with  his  great  horns  and  the  onpleasant  temper  he  seemed 
to  be  in.  What  to  do  I  didn't  know.  I  hollered  and 
shouted  at  the  kritter,  thinkin',  maybe,  that  the  voice  of  a 
human  might  scare  him  ;  but  it  only  made  him  madder,  and 
every  time  I  hollered  he  charged  under  the  log  more  furi- 
ously than  before.  I  threw  my  huntin'  cap  at  him,  but  he 
pitched  into  it,  and  if  he  didn't  trample  it  into  the  ground, 
as  if  it  was  a  human,  you  may  shoot  me.  After  a  while,  he 
got  tired  of  dashiu'  back  and  forth,  under  the  log,  and  took 
a  stand  two  or  three  rods  off,  and  as  he  eyed  us,  shook  his 
great  horns  and  stamped  with  his  big  hoofs,  as  much  as  to 
eay,  '  very  well,  gentlemen,  I  can  wait,  don't  hurry  your- 
selves, take  your  time  ;  but  I  shall  stay  here  as  long  as  you 
stay  up  there.  And  when  you  do  come  down,  we'll  take  a  turn 
that  won't  be  pleasant  to  some  of  us.'  Crop  and  I  took  the 
hint  and  sat  still,  thinkin'  maybe  he'd  get  over  his  pet  and 
move  off ;  but  he  did'nt  lean  that  way  at  all.  He  seemed 


BROUGHT  TO   TERMS.  323 

to  've  made  up  his  mind  to  stay  there  as  long  as  we  stayed 
on  the  log,  be  the  same  more  or  less.  We'd  sat  there  may- 
be an  hour,  when  I  happened  to  think  of  a  trolliu'  line  and 
some  fishhooks  I  had  in  my  pocket,  and  it  came  across  me 
that  possibly  I  might  fish  up  my  powder  horn.  So  tyin' 
half  a  dozen  hooks  to  the  end  of  my  line,  I  laid  down  on  the 
log  to  angle  for  my  powder-horn.  When  I  laid  down,  the 
old  bull  made  a  pass  under  the  log,  as  if  he  expected  me 
down  there,  and  charged  back  again,  as  if  he  was  disap- 
pointed in  not  runnin'  agin  me.  But  he  saw  'twan't  no  use, 
and  took  his  old  stand  agin.  I  dropped  down  the  grapnel, 
and  after  a  great  many  failures,  I  hooked  into  the  string  of 
the  powder  horn,  and  hoisted  away.  I  hauled  it  up  mighty 
quick,  for  the  old  bull  seemed  to  be  suspicious  that  some- 
thing was  goin'  on  that  might  have  something  to  do  with 
his  futer  happiness,  and  when  he  got  sight  of  it,  the  pass  he 
made  was  a  thing  to  stand  out  of  the  way  of.  But  he  was 
too  late  ;  the  powder-horn  was  safe,  and  I  notified  him,  as 
Squire  Smith  did  the  cats,  to  leave  them  parts  in  just  one 
minute  by  the  clock.  He  did'nt  pay  any  attention  to  the 
waruin'.  I  loaded  my  rifle  carefully,  and  while  I  was  put- 
tin'  on  the  cap,  asked  the  gentleman  if  he  calculated  to 
move  on,  and  let  peaceable  people  alone.  He  didn't  conde- 
scend to  answer  a  word,  looking  for  all  the  world  like  a 
tiger  in  savageness.  '  Very  well/  said  I,  as  I  sighted  him 
between  the  eyes,  '  on  your  head  be  it,'  and  pulled.  The 
ball  went  crashin'  through  his  skull  into  his  brain,  and  he 
went  down.  Crop  knew  what  that  meant.  He  didn't  wait 


324:  A   LESSON   LEARNED. 

to  run  down  the  log,  but  leaped  to  the  ground,  and  had  hia 
teeth  in  the  animal's  throat  before  the  echoes  of  my  rifle 
were  done  dancin'  around  among  the  mountains.  I  loaded 
my  gun  before  I  came  down,  thinkin'  maybe  there  might  be 
another  bad  tempered  moose  about,  but  there  wasn't.  Crop 
and  I  learned  what  we  ought  to  've  know  before,  and  that 
was  that  it's  a  safe  thing  for  a  hunter  to  have  an  extra 
horn  of  powder  in  his  pocket,  and  a  loaded  rifle  in  his  hand 
when  a  mad  bull  moose  is  on  his  trail,  and  that  a  slantin' 
tree  is  a  good  thing  to  get  onto  at  sich  a  time." 


CHAPTER   XXX. 

GOOD-BYE — FLOATING  DOWN  THE  RACKETT — A  BLACK  FOX — 
A  TRICK  UPON  THE  MARTIN  TRAPPERS  AND  ITS  CONSE- 
QUENCES. 

WE  rose  with  the  dawn  the  next  morning,  and  before  the 
snn  was  above  the  hills  we  were  on  our  way  down  the  lake, 
to  separate  as  we  struck  the  Rackett;  the  Doctor  and  Smith 
to  return  by  the  way  of  Keeseville  and  the  Champlain,  and 
Spalding  and  myself  to  drift  down  that  pleasant  stream  to 
Pottsdam,  and  thence  to  the  majestic  St.  Lawrence,  to  spend 
a  fortnight  among  the  "  Thousand  Islands  "  of  that  noble  river. 
Near  the  outlet  of  the  lake  is  a  bold  rocky  bluff,  rising  right 
up  out  of  the  deep  water  twenty  feet,  against  which  the 
waves  dash,  and  around  which  a  romantic  bay  steals  away 
to  hide  itself  in  the  old  woods.  This  beautiful  bay  is 
always  calm,  for  even  the  narrow  strait  which  connects  it 
with  the  open  water  is  divided  by  a  rocky,  but  wooded 
island,  shutting  out  alike  the  winds  and  the  waves  from  dis- 
turbing its  repose.  It  is  surrounded  by  gigantic  forest  trees, 

820 


326  A   PARTING   INJUNCTION. 

whose  shadows  make  it  a  cool  retreat  in  the  heat  of  noon, 
and  whose  dense  foliage  fills  the  air  with  freshness  and  fra- 
grance when  the  sun  is  hot  in  the  sky.  Towards  its  head,  a 
cold  stream  comes  creeping  around  the  boulders,  and  danc- 
ing and  singing  down  the  rocks  from  a  copious  spring,  a  short 
way  back  in  the  forest.  Near  where  this  brook  enters  we 
landed  at  seven  o'clock  to  breakfast.  We  supplied  ourselves 
with  fish  by  casting  across  the  mouth  of  the  little  stream, 
while  our  boatmen  were  preparing  a  fire.  Our  sail  of  eight 
miles  down  the  lake  furnished  us  with  appetites  which  gave 
to  the  beautiful  speckled  trout  we  caught  there  a  peculiar 
relish.  We  arranged  matters  so  that  the  Doctor  and  Smith 
were  to  return  in  one  boat  to  the  Saranacs,  while  Spalding 
and  myself  were  to  move  on  down  the  Rackett  with  the 
other  two.  Cullen  and  Wood  were  to  go  with  us  to  Potts- 
dam,  from  whence  our  route  lay  by  railroad  to  Ogdens- 
burgh.  We  had,  on  entering  the  woods,  dispatched  our 
baggage  to  the  former  place  to  await  our  arrival  there.  At 
nine  o'clock  we  launched  out  upon  the  lake  again.  There 
are  two  outlets  which  enter  the  Rackett,  half  a  mile  apart, 
down  the  right  hand  one  of  which  the  Doctor  and  Smith's 
course  lay,  and  ours  down  the  left.  We  shook  hands  with 
our  friends,  and  lay  upon  our  oars  while  they  passed  on 
towards  home,  wishing  them  a  pleasant  voyage,  and  a  safe 
return. 

"  I  say,"  shouted  Smith,  as  they  were  about  rounding  a 
point  that  would  hide  them  from  our  view,  "  remember  our 
compact  about  killing  the  bear.  The  glory  of  that  achieve- 


REGRETTING   TO   LEAVE.  327 

ment  belongs  to  me,  you  know.  Don't  say  a  word  about  it 
when  you  get  home  till  you  see  me.  I  haven't  fully  made  up 
my  mind  as  to  the  manner  of  capturing  him,  and  there  must 
be  no  contradictions  on  the  subject." 

"  Go  ahead,"  replied  Spalding,  "  we'll  be  careful  of  your 
honor.  Drop  us  a  line  at  Cape  Vincent,  when  you've 
digested  the  matter,  and  we'll  stand  by  you.  Good-bye  I" 

"  Good-bye  1"  And  our  friends  disappeared  from  our 
sight  on  their  voyage*  home. 

"  And  so,"  said  Spalding,  "  we  are  to  leave  this  beautiful 
lake,  and  these  old  forests  so  soon.  I  could  linger  here  a 
month  still,  enjoying  these  shady  and  primitive  solitudes. 
To  you  and  I,  the  quiet  which  one  finds  here  is  vastly 
more  inviting  than  it  is  to  the  friends  who  have  just  left  us. 
The  Doctor,  of  necessity,  leads  a  life  of  activity,  feeling  phy- 
sical weariness  as  the  result  of  his  labors,  but  little  of  that 
strong  yearning  for  intellectual  repose  which  those  in  your 
profession  or  mine  so  often  feel.  Smith's  life  demands  ex- 
citement. The  absence  of  the  cares  and  toil  of  business 
occasions  a  restlessness  and  desire  of  change,,  which  makes 
him  discontented  here.  With  them  the  great  charm  of  this 
wild  regbn  is  its  novelty.  They  enjoy  its  beauties  for  a 
season  wit\  peculiar  relish,  but  as  these  became  familiar,  the 
spell  is  broken,  and  they  turn  towards  home  without  a 
regret.  ToWou  and  I,  there  is  something  beyond  this. 
We,  too,  feeiand  appreciate  the  beauty  of  these  lakes  and 
mountains,  me  hill-sides  and  placid  waters,  the  forest 
songs,  and  wit  scenery  are  pleasant  to  us  ;  but  we  enjoy 


328 


them  the  more  from  the  intellectual  relaxation,  the  mental 
quiet  and  repose,  which  we  find  among  them.  We  feel  that 
we  are  resting,  that  the  process  of  recuperation,  intellec- 
tual as  well  as  physical,  is  going  on  within  us.  We  can 
almost  trace  its  progress,  and  we  feel  that  the  time  spent  by 
us  here  is  full  of  profit  as  well  as  pleasure.  .  At  all  events,  it 
is  so  with  me,  and  if  duty  to  others,  whose  interests  it  is  my 
business  to  serve,  did  not  demand  my  return,  I  could  enjoy 
another  month  here  with  unabated  pleasure." 

"  You  have  left  me  little,"  I  replied,  "  to  add  to  what  you 
have  already  said,  in  expressing  the  sources  of  my  enjoy- 
ment among  these  beautiful  lakes.  Fishing  and  hunting, 
considered  in  the  abstract,  are  things  I  care  but  little  about. 
They  are  pleasant  enough  in  their  way,  but  what  brings  me 
here  is  the  strong  desire  as  well  as  necessity  for  the  repose 
of  which  you  speak.  There  is  a  luxury  in  intellectual  rest, 
when  the  brain  is  wearied  with  protracted  toil,  which  far 
surpasses  the  mere  animal  enjoyment  which  follows  relaxa- 
tion from  physical  labor.  That  rest  I  cannot  find  ic  society. 
I  must  seek  it  among  wild  and  primeval  solitudes,  where  I 
can  be  alone  with  nature  in  her  unadorned  simplicity,  away 
from  the  barbarisms,  so  to  speak,  of  civilization,  where  I 
can  act  and  talk  and  think  as  a  natural,  and  n>t  an  artifi- 
cial man,  where  I  can  be  off  my  guard,  and  n*ee  from  the 
weight  of  that  armor  which  the  conventionalites  of  life,  the 
captious  espionage  of  the  world  compels  us  to  wear,  un- 
tempted  by  the  thousand  enticements  whicl  society  every- 
where presents  to  lure  us  into  unrest." 


GAME   DISCOVERED.  329 

We  drifted  leisurely  down  the  left  hand  channel,  and  en- 
tered the  Rackett,  bidding  good-bye  to  the  beautiful  lake  as 
a  bend  in  the  river  hid  it  from  our  view.  A  mile  below  the 
junction,  the  river  runs  square  against  a  precipice  some 
sixty  feet  in  height,  wheeling  off  at  a  right  angle,  and  stretch- 
ing away  though  a  natural  meadow  on  either  hand,  of  hun- 
dreds of  acres  in  extent.  At  the  base  of  this  precipice, 
formed  by  the  rocky  point  of  a  hill,  the  water  is  of  unknown 
depth.  Above,  and  fifty  feet  from  the  surface  of  the  river, 
there  are  ledges  of  a  foot  or  two  in  width,  like  shelves,  along 
which  the  fox,  the  fisher,  and  possibly  the  panther,  creep, 
instead  of  travelling  over  the  high  ridge  extending  back 
into  the  forest.  As  we  rounded  a  point  which  brought  us 
in  view  of  this  precipice,  Spalding,  who  was  in  the  forward 
boat,  discovered  a  black  object  making  its  way  along  the 
face  of  the  rocks.  A  signal  for  silence  was  given,  and  the 
boats  were  permitted  to  float  with  the  current  in  the  direc- 
tion of  the  precipice.  We  were  forty  rods  distant,  and  the 
animal,  whatever  it  was,  had  no  suspicioon  of  danger.  It 
paused  midway  across  the  rocks,  looked  about,  nosing  out 
over  the  water,  and  sat  down  upon  its  haunches,  as  if  enjoy- 
ing the  beauty  of  the  scenery  around  it.  In  the  meantime, 
the  boats  had  drifted  within  twenty  rods,  and  Spalding,  tak- . 
ing  deliberate  aim,  fired.  At  the  crack  of  the  rifle,  the  ani« 
mal  leapt  clear  of  the  ledge,  struck  once  against  the  face  of 
the  rock  some  twenty  feet  below,  and  then  went,  end  over 
end,  thirty  feet  into  the  river.  As  he  struck  the  water 
he  commenced  swimming  round  and  round  in  a  circle,  evi- 


330  A  BLACK  FOX. 

dently  bewildered  by  Spalding's  bullet,  or  the  effect  of  his 
iu voluntary  plunge  down  the  rocks.  Our  men  bent  to  their 
oars,  and  had  got  within  five  or  six  rods  of  it,  when  it 
straightened  up  in  alarm  for  the  shore. 

"  Hold  on,  Cullen,"  said  I,  "  lay  steady  for  a  moment." 
I  drew  upon  the  annual,  and  just  as  it  reached  the  shore, 
fired,  and  it  turned  over  dead.  We  found  it  to  be  a  black 
fox,  that  had  walked  out  upon  the  ledge,  and  thus  been 
added  another  victim  to  the  indulgence  of  an  idle  curiosity. 
Spalding's  bullet  had  grazed  its  belly,  raking  off  the  hair 
and  graining  the  skin  ;  mine  had  gone  through  its  head. 

"  There,  Judge,"  said  Cullen,  as  he  lifted  the  animal  into 
the  boat,  "  is  a  kritter  that  isn't  often  met  with  in  these  parts, 
and  the  wonder  is,  that  he  didn't  discover  us  as  we  floated 
down  the  stream.  He's  about  the  cunningest  animal  that 
travels  the  woods.  He's  got  an  eye  that's  always  open,  a 
delicate  ear,  and  a  sharp  nose,  and  he  keeps  'em  busy,  as  a 
general  thing.  He  never  neglects  their  warnin',  but  puts 
out  about  the  quickest,  whenever  they  notify  him  that 
there's  an  enemy  about.  I've  had  a  good  deal  of  trouble 
with  them  in  my  day,  when  I've  been  out  trappin'  martin. 
They'll  manage  to  spring  the  trap  and  carry  off  the  bait. 
When  one  of  them  chaps  gets  on  a  line  of  traps,  there's  no 
use  in  talkin'.  The  game's  up,  and  the  trapper  may  make 
up  his  mind  to  get  rid  of  the  varmint  in  some  way,  or  locate 
in  another  range  of  country.  He'll  find  his  traps  sprung 
and  his  bait  gone.  Or  if  a  martin  has  been  in  ahead  of  the- 
fox,  he'll  find  only  the  skull,  the  end  of  the  tail,  the  feet, 


A  TBICK   UPON   THE   MABTTN   TRAPPERS.  331 

and  a  few  -of  the  larger  bones,  and  they'll  be  picked  mighty 
clean  at  that.  You've  seen  a  martin  trap,  or  if  you  hav'n't, 
I'll  try  and  describe  one  so  that  you'll  understand  it.  It's  a 
very  simple  contrivance,  and  if  a  martin  was  not  a  good 
deal  more  stupid  than  a  goose,  he'd  never  be  caught  in  one 
of  them.  We  drive  down  a  couple  of  rows  of  little  stakes, 
plantin'  the  stakes  close  together,  and  leaving  between  the 
rows  a  space  of  six  or  eight  inches.  The  rows  are  may  be  a 
foot  and  a  half  long.  We  then  cut  and  trim  a  long  saplin', 
say  five  or  six  inches  across  at  the  butt,  and  leaving  one  end 
on  the  ground,  set  the  other,  may  be  two  feet  high,  with  a 
kind  of  figure  four,  so  that  when  it  falls,  it  will  come  down 
between  the  rows  of  stakes.  We  fix  the  bait  so  that  a  mar- 
tin in  getting  at  it,  will  have  to  go  in  between  the  rows  of 
stakes,  and  displace  the  trap  sticks,  when  down  comes  the 
pole  upon  him  and  crushes  him  to  death.  We  talk  about  a 
line  of  traps,  because  we  blaze  a  line  of  trees,  sometimes  for 
miles,  and  set  a  trap  every  twenty  or  thirty  rods.  I've  had 
a  line  of  a  dozen  miles  or  more,  in  my  day,  in  a  circle 
around  my  campin'  ground.  In  minding  our  traps,  we  fol- 
low the  line  of  marked  trees  from  one  to  the  other,  and  so 
never  miss  a  trap,  nor  get  lost  in  the  woods. 

«'  I  mind  once,  a  good  many  years  ago,  Crop  and  I  was 
over  towards  the  St.  Eegis,  on  a  cruise  after  martin  and 
sable,  and  anything  else  in  the  way  of  game  we  could  pick 
up.  I'd  laid  out  my  trappin'  arrangements  on  a  pretty  large 
scale,  and  was  doin'  a  little  better  than  midlin',  when  1 
found  that  my  traps  were  sprung  by  some  animal  that  helped 


332  KEEPING   WATCH  FOB   A   THIEF. 

himself  to  the  bait,  without  leavin'  his  hide  as  a  considera- 
tion for  settin'  of  'em.  After  a  few  days,  I  found  that  what- 
ever it  was,  understood  the  line  as  well  as  I  did,  for  he  took 
the  range  regular,  and  not  only  stole  the  bait,  but  ate  up 
half  a  dozen  martin,  that  had  given  me  a  claim  on  their 
hides  by  springin'  my  traps.  This  was  a  kind  of  medlin' 
with  my  private  concerns  that  I  didn't  like,  and  I  was  bound 
to  find  out  who  the  interloper  was,  and  if  possible,  to  make 
his  acquaintance.  There  was  no  snow  on  the  ground,  and  I 
could't  get  at  his  track.  So  I  made  up  my  mind  to  watch 
for  him.  Well,  one  day  I  spoke  to  Crop  to  stay  by  the  shanty 
and  take  care  of  the  things,  while  I  went  to  find  out  who  it 
was  that  was  medlin'  with  our  property,  and  started  off  on 
my  line  of  traps.  I  got  up  into  the  crotch  of  a  great  birch 
near  one  of  'em,  and  sat  there  with  my  rifle,  waitin'  for 
something  to  turn  up.  It  was  a  little  after  noon  when  I  got 
located.  The  sun  travelled  slowly  along  down  towards  the 
western  hills,  his  bright  light,  in  that  calm  November  day, 
makin'  the  rocky  ranges  and  the  bare  heads  of  the  tall 
peaks  shine  out  in  a  blaze  of  glory.  The  livin'  things  of  the 
old  woods  were  busy  and  jolly  enough.  An  old  owl  came 
flying  lazily  out  of  the  thick  branches  of  a  hemlock,  and 
lightin'  within  a  dozen  feet  of  me,  opened  his  great  round 
eyes  in  astonishment,  and  as  the  bright  sunlight  dazzled 
'  him,  he  squinted  and  turned  his  cat-like  face  from  side  to 
side,  as  if^  makin'  up  his  mind  that  he'd  know  me  the  next 
time  we  met.  By-and-by  he  opened  his  hooked  beak,  and 
great  red  mouth,  and  roared  out,  '  Hoo  !  hohoo  !  hoo  !'  as 


A  FEIGHTENED   OOON.  333 

much  as  to  say,  *  who  the  devil  are  you  ?'  I  didn't  answer  a 
word,  and  after  a  little,  he  flew  back  to  his  shadowy  perch 
among  the  dense  foliage  of  the  hemlock.  A  black  squirrel 
came  hopping  along  with  his  mouth  full  of  beech  nuts,  and 
running  nimbly  up  the  tree  on  which  I  was  perched,  and  out 
upon  one  of  the  great  limbs,  deposited  his  store  in  a  hollow 
he  found  there.  He  caught  sight  of  me  as  he  came  back, 

.  and  seating  himself  upon  a  branch,  not  six  feet  from  my 
head,  began  chatterin'  and  barkin'  as  if  givin'  me  a  regular 
lecter  for  invad^n'  his  premises,  and  takin'  possession  of  his 
tree.  He  didn't  seem  to  understand  the  matter  at  all,  and 
I  didn't  undertake  to  explain  the  reason  of  my  being  there. 
After  a  little,  he  went  off  about  his  business,  and  left  me  to 
attend  to  mine.  A  raccoon  came  nosing  along,  stoppin' 
every  little  way  to  turn  over  the  leaves,  or  pull  away  the 
dirt  from  a  root  with  his  long  hands,  tastin'  of  one  thing 
and  smellin'  of  another  in  a  mighty  dainty  way.  When  he 
came  to  my  tree,  he  seemed  to  think  that  there  might  be 
something,  among  its  branches  worth  looking  at.  So  he 
came  clambering  up  its  rough  bark  towards  where  I  sat. 
He  came  up  on  the  other  side  of  the  tree  from  me,  till  he 
got  about  even  with  my  huntin'-cap,  and  then  came  round 
to  my  side,  and  there  we  were,  face  to  face,  not  two  feet 
apart.  I  reckon  that  coon  was  astonished  when  our  eyes 
met,  for  with  a  sort  of  scream  he  let  right  loose,  and  drop- 
ped twenty  feet  to  the  ground  like  a  clod,  and. the  way  he 
waddled  away  into  the  brush,  mutterin'  and  talkin'  to  him- 

,  self,  was  a  thing  to  laugh  at. 


334:  THE  THIEF   DISCOVERED. 

"  The  sun  was,  may  be,  an  hour  high,  when  lookin'  along 
the  line  of  marked  trees,  I  saw  a  black  animal  come  trotting 
mighty  softly  towards  the  trap  I  was  watchin'.  I  knew  him 
at  once.  He  was  a  black  fox,  and  I  knew  that  he  was  the 
gentleman  that  had  been  makin'  free  with  my  property  for 
the  last  few  days.  He  trotted  up  to  the  trap,  and  walked 
carefully  around  it,  nosin'  out  towards  the  bait,  but  keepin' 
out  from  under  the  pole.  He  seemed  to  understand  what 
that  pole  meant,  and  that  if  it  fell  on  him,  he'd  be  very 
likely  to  be  hurt.  After  a  little,  he  trotted^out  to  the  other 
end  of  the  pole,  and  gettin'  on  to  it,  walked  carefully  along 
to  within  ten  or  twelve  feet  of  the  bait  ;  if  he  didn't  begin 
jumpin'  up  and  down  till  he  sprung  the  trap,  you  may  shoot 
me.  When  he'd  done  that  job,  he  went  back,  and  gettin' 
hold  of  the  bait  with  his  teeth,  drew  it  out  and  began  very 
cooly  to  eat  it.  By  this  time  I'd  brought  my  rifle  to  bear 
upon  the  gentleman,  but  I  gave  him  a  little  law,  to  see  what 
his  next  move  would  be.  After  he'd  finished  the  bait,  and 
found  there  warn't  any  more  to  be  come  at,  he  stretched 
himself  on  his  belly  along  the  ground,  and  began  lickin'  his 
paws,  and  passing  them  over  his  cheeks,  as  you've  seen  a 
cat  do.  After  he'd  washed  his  face  awhile,  he  sat  himself 
down  on  his  haunches,  curled  his  long  bushy  tail  around  his 
feet,  and  looked  about  as  if  considerin'  what  he  should  do 
next.  Just  then  I  paid  my  respects  to  him,  and  as  my  rifle 
broke  the  stillness  of  the  forest,  he  turned  a  double  summer- 
set, and  after  kickin'  around  a  little,  laid  still.  I  came  down 


THE   REMEDY   EFFECTUAL.  335 

from  my  perch,  and  took  the  gentleman  to  the  shanty  and 
added  his  hide  to  those  of  the  martins  I'd  taken.  My  traps 
warn't  disturbed  after  that,  and  I  carried  home  a  pack  of 
furs  that  bro't  me  near  two  hundred  dollars." 


CHAPTER  XXXI. 

OUT  OF  THE  WOODS — THE  THOUSAND  ISLANDS CAPE  VINCENT — 

BASS    FISHING HOME — A   SEARCHER    AFTER    TRUTH — AN   IN- 
TERRUPTION  FINIS. 

WE  floated  quietly  down  the  Rackett,  carrying  onr  boats 
around  the  falls,  shooting  like  an  arrow  down  the  rapids, 
or  gliding  along  under  the  shadows  of  the  gigantic  forest 
trees  that  line  the  long,  calm  reaches  of  that  beautiful  river. 
We  shook  hands  and  parted  with  our  boatmen  at  the  plea- 
sant village  of  Pottsdam,  where  we  arrived  the  second  even- 
ing after  leaving  Tupper*s  Lake.  We  found  our  baggage, 
and  it  was  a  pleasant  thing  to  change  our  long  beards  for 
shaved  faces,  and  our  forest  costume  for  the  garniture  of  the 
outer  man  after  the  fashion  of  civilization.  We  took  the 
cars  for  Ogdensburgh,  and  the  next  morning  found  us 
steaming  up  the  majestic  St.  Lawrence,  towards  that  para- 
dise of  fishermen,  the  Thousand  Islands.  We  stopped  a 
couple  of  days  at  Alexandria  Bay,  and  passed  on  to  Cape 
Vincent,  a  beautiful  village  situated  a  mile  or  two  .below 


BASS   FISHING.  337 

where  the  river  takes  its  departure  from  the  broad  lake  be- 
yond. This  pleasant  little  town  is  built  upon  a  wide  sweep 
of  tableland,  overlooking  the  river  in  front,  and  the  open 
lake  on  the  west.  It  is  accessible  both  by  the  lake  and  river, 
having  two  or  three  arrivals  and  departures  of  steamboats 
each  way  daily,  and  being  the  terminus  of  the  Borne  and 
Watertown  Railroad,  the  great  thoroughfare  between  King- 
ston and  the  central  portion  of  the  Upper  Provinces  and 
the  States.  It  is  a  delightful  place  in  the  hot  summer 
months,  with  a  climate  unequalled  for  healthfulness,  a  cool 
breeze  always  fanning  it  from  the  water,  and  in  the  vicinity 
the  best  bass  fishing  to  be  found  on  this  continent. 

Opposite,  and  just  below  the  town,  is  Carlton  Island,  on 
which  stand  the  ruins  of  an  old  French  fortification,  the 
walls  and  trenches  and  the  solitary  chimneys,  from  which 
the  wooden  barracks  have  rotted  or  been  burned  away,  re- 
main as  melancholy  testimonials  of  the  bloody  strifes  be- 
tween the  red  men  of  the  forest,  and  the  pioneers  of  civiliz- 
ation who  were  driving  them  from  the  hunting  grounds  of 
their  fathers. 

The  black  bass  of  the  St.  Lawrence  and  Ontario,  are  the 
"  gamest "  fish  that  swim,  and  they  are  nowhere  found  in 
such  abundance  as  in  the  neighborhood  of  Cape  Vincent. 
On  the  outer  edge  of  the  bar,  near  the  head  of  Carlton  Island, 
we  caught  between  seventy  and  eighty  in  ome  afternoon, 
weighing  from  three  to  five  pounds  each,  every  one  of  which 
fought,  like  a  hero,  diving  with  a  plunge  for  the  bottom, 
skiving  with  a  rush  down,  across,  or  up  the  river  ;  leaping 

15 


338  NECESSARY   TACKLE. 

clear  from  the  water  and  shaking  his  head  furiously,  to  throw 
the  hook  loose  from  his  jaw,  before  surrendering  to  his  fate. 
In  Wilson's  Bay,  a  sweet  place,  three  nriles  from  the  village 
by  water,  or  one  and  a  half  by  land,  we  caught  as  many 
inore  on  another  afternoon.  We  took  a  sail-boat  and  glided 
round  Lighthouse  Point  (a  pleasant  drive  of  two  miles  from 
the  village),  out  into  the  lake,  and  steered  for  Grenadier 
Island,  five  miles  distant,  on  which  we  tented  for  the  night, 
and  the  bass  we  brought  home  the  next  day  were  something 
worth  looking  at.  Near  the  upper  end  of  Long  Island  are 
other  prolific  bass  shoals,  where  the  fisherman  may  enjoy 
himself.  Indeed,  he  can  scarcely  go  amiss  in  the  surround- 
ing waters. 

The  black  bass  of  the  St.  Lawrence  are  not  only  game 
fish,  but  are,  in  excellence  of  flavor,  scarcely  excelled  by  any 
fish  of  this  country.  Baked  or  boiled,  they  have  few  supe- 
riors, and  as  a  pan  fish,  are  excelled  only  by  the  brook-trout 
of  the  streams.  The  season  for  taking  them  commences  in 
July,  and  continues  through  September.  August  is  the  best 
month  in  the  year  for  the  bass  fishermen.  If,  during  that 
month,  he  will  supply  himself  with  a  strong  bass-pole,  a 
strong  treble-action  reel,  stout  silk  lines,  and  proper  hooks, 
and  visit  Cape  Vincent,  he  will  find  boatmen  with  a  supply 
of  minnows,  ready  to  serve  him  ;  and  if  he  fails  to  enjoy 
himself  for  a  fortnight  among  the  black  bass  of  the  St  Law- 
rence and  Ontario,  he  may  count  himself  as  a  man  who  is 
very  hard  to  please. 

We  spent  a  pleasant  week  at  Cape  Vincent,  and  then 


NEW   VERSION    OF   THE   BEAR   STORY.  339 

turned  our  faces  homeward,  invigorated  in  strength  and 
buoyant  in  spirits,  10  begin  again  a  round  of  toil,  from  which 
we,  at  least,  could  claim  no  further  exemption. 

"H ,"  said  a  friend  of  mine,  as  he  stalked  into  my 

sanctum,  a  few  days  after  my  return,  and  seated  himself 
at  my  elbow,  as  if  for  a  private  and  confidential  talk, 
"did  Smith  really  shoot  the  bear,  the  skin  of  which  he 
brought  home,  and  which  he  exhibits  with  such  triumph. 
Tell  me,  honestly,  as  between  you  and  me,  did  he  in  fact 
shoot  him  ?" 

"  Smith  certainly  did  shoot  that  bear,"  I  replied. 

"  But  is  the  marvellous  story  he  tells  about  the  manner 
of  killing  him  really  true  ?" 

"  That,  of  course,  I  cannot  tell,"  I  replied,  "  as  I  have 
never  heard  the  story." 

"  Why,"  said  my  friend,  "  he  tells  about  a  beautiful  lake, 
lying  away  back  in  the  northern  wilderness,  above  which 
Mount  Marcy,  and  Mount  Seward,  and  other  nameless  peaks 
of  the  Adirondacks,  rear  their  tall  heads  to  the  clouds, 
throwing  back  the  sunlight  in  a  blaze  of  glory  ;  on  which 
the  moonbeams  lie  like  a  mantle  of  silver,  while  away  down 
in  its  fathomless  depths  the  stars  glow  and  sparkle,  like  the 
sheen  of  a  million  of  diamonds.  Of  the  old  forests  and 
trees  of  fabulous  growth,  stretching  away  and  away  on 
every  hand,  throwing  their  sombre  shadows  far  out  over 
the  water,  in  whose  tangled  recesses  countless  deer  and 
moose,  and  panthers,  and  bears  range,  and  among  whose 
branches  birds  of  unknown  melody  carol.  That  one  side 


340  INTERRUPTED   BY   THE    "DEVIL." 

of  this  beautiful  lake  is  palisadoed  by  a  wall  of  rocks,  stand- 
ing straight  up  sixty  feet  high,  near  the  top  of  which  is 
a  shelf  or  narrow  pathway,  along  which  two  men  can 
scarcely  walk  abreast.  That  he  was  passing  along  this 
pathway  one  afternoon,  examining  the  rocks,  and  looking 
for  geological  specimens.  Below  him  was  a  precipice  of 
fifty  feet,  against  the  base  of  which  the  waves,  when  the 
winds  swept  over  the  lake,  dashed.  Around  him  the  birds 
that  build  their  nests  in  the  crevices  of  the  rock  were 
whirling  and  screaming,  while  before  him  lay  the  beautiful 
lake,  motionless  and  calm,  as  if  it  had  fallen  asleep  aud 
was  slumbering  sweetly  in  its  forest  bed.  That  he  was 
passing  leisurely  along  with  his  rifle  at  a  trail,  admiring  the 
.transcendent  loveliness  of  the  scenery  around  him,  where 
the  rugged  and  the  sublime,  the  placid  and  the  beautiful, 
were  so  magnificently  mingled,  when,  in  turning  a  sharp 
angle,  a  huge  bear  " 

"  Copy !"  shouted  the  printer's  devil,  as  he  came  plung- 
ing down  three  steps  at  a  bound  from  the  compositors'  room 
above.  "  Copy  !"  he  screamed,  as  he  dove  into  the  outer 
office  where  that  article  was  usually  kept,  but  found  none. 

"Mr.  H ,"  said  he,  as  he  opened  my  door  so  gently, 

with  a  voice  so  quiet,  and  a  look  so  innocent,  that  one 
might  well  be  excused  for  believing  that  he  had  never 

spoken  a  loud  word  in  his  life,  "  Mr.  H ,  the  foreman 

desired  me  to  ask  you  for  some  copy." 

"You  see,  my  friend,"  said  I  to  the  anxious  inquirer 
after  truth,  "that  I  am  exceedingly  busy  just  now.  You 


A    WORD   TO   THE   READER FINIB.  341 

will  excuse  me,  therefore,  for  referring  you  to  the  Doctor 
and  Spalding,  who  know  all  about  the  matter.  Good  day." 
And  my  friend  departed  without  finishing  the  story  Smith 
told  him  about  his  killing  the  bear.  I  have  never  heard 
the  balance  of  that  story  yet. 

And  now,  Reader,  a  word  to  you,  and  I  have  done.  When 
the  sun  comes  up  over  the  city,  day  after  day,  pouring 
his  burning  rays  along  the  glimmering  streets,  shining  on 
and  on  in  a  changeless  glare,  till  he  hides  himself  in  the 
darkness  again  ;  when  your  strength  wilts  under  the  ener- 
vating influences  of  the  summer  heats,  and  you  pant  for  the 
forest  breezes  and  the  "  cooling  streams,"  remember  that  the 
same  wild  region  I  have  been  describing,  the  same  pleasant 
rivers,  beautiful  lakes,  tall  mountains,  and  primeval  forests 
are  there  still,  all  inviting  you  to  test  their  recuperative 
agencies.  The  same  singing  birds,  the  fishes  and  the  game 
are  there  waiting  your  pleasure.  Visit  them  when  the 
summer  heat  makes  the  cities  a  desolation.  Give  a  month 
to  the.  enjoyment  of  a  wilderness-life,  and  you  will  return 
to  your  labors  invigorated  in  strength,  buoyant  in  spirit — 
a  wiser,  healthier,  and  a  better  man. 


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WITH  SIXTEEN   PORTRAITS  OF  ITS  BEAUTIES,  WITS,  AND  HEROINES. 

BY  FRANK  B.  GOODRICH  (Dick  Tinto). 
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— — 
brated  beauties — the  CONSULATE  and  EMPIRE  by  the  wits  and  belles  of  the  Imperial  Era. 


(1)  CHARLOTTE  CORDAY. 

(2)  MADAME  ROLAND. 
(8)  MADAME  TALLIES. 

(1)  MADAME  RECAMIER,  whose  love  was 
sought  by  Napoleon  and  Lucien  Bo- 
naparte, Bernadotte,  Murat,  Junot, 
the  Montmorencles  (father  and  son), 
Augustus,  Prince  of  Prussia,  and  Lord 
Wellington,  and  "  whose  beauty  threw 
at  her  feet  every  man  who  had  once 
looked  upon  her." 

(6)  PAULINE  BONAPARTE,  the  most  beautiful 
princess  in  Europe,  and  whose  fantas- 
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(6)  CAROLINE  BONAPARTE,  wife  of  Murat 
and  Queen  of  Naples. 


(12)  MADAME  REGNAULT  DE  ST.  JEAN  D'AN- 
GELY,  a  peerless  beauty,  one  of  whose 
replies  to  Napoleon  has  become  his- 
torical. Napoleon  said  to  her  at  a 
ball,  "Do  you  know,  Madame  Reg- 
nault,  that  you  are  looking  much 
older  ?"  She  answered  at  once,  and  in 
the  hearing  of  an  hundred  ladies  and 
gentlemen,  "The  observation  which 
you  have  done  me  the  honor  to  make, 
sire,  might  possibly  have  given  me 
pain,  had  I  arrived  at  a  period  when 
youth  is  regretted. "  She  was  twenty- 
eight  years  old. 

(18)  MADAME  JONOT,  DUCHESS  D'ABRANTES. 
This  lady  refused  Napoleon's  brother 
In  marriage ;  her  brother  would  not 
accept  Napoleon's  sister,  Pauline,  and 
her  mother,  Madame  de  Permon,  re- 
fused Napoleon  himself.  The  first 
daughter,  Josephine  Junot,  was  Na- 
poleon's first  god-child. 

(14)  MADAME  DE  STAEL,  the  first  literary 

woman  of  the  age. 

(15)  M'LLE  LENORMAND,  the  sibyl  of  the  19th 

century,  and  the  intimate  confidant 
of  Josephine ;  of  whom  it  was  said 
that  "she  contrived  to  obtain  cre- 
dence in  an  age  which  neither  believed 
in  God  and  his  angels,  nor  the  devil 
and  his  imps." 

(16)  M'LLE  GEORGES,  the  tragic  actress  and 

protegee  of  Napoleon. 

The  publishers  respectfully  invite  attention  to  the  above  PRESENTATION  BOOK,  which 
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artiat,  in  bis  line,  In  Paris. 


(9)  HORTENSE  DE  BEAUHARNAis,  daughter 
of  Josephine  and  mother  of  Louis 
Napoleon  and  the  Count  de  Morny. 

(10)  GRACE   INGERSOLL,  the  Belle  of  New 

Haven,  transferred  by  marriage  to 
France,  and  subsequently  one  of  the 
beauties  who  frequented  the  Court  of 
the  Tuileries. 

(11)  M'LLE  DC  COLOMBIEH,  Napoleon's  first 

love,  with  whom  he  used  to  eat  cher- 
ries at  six  in  the  morning. 


„  The  best  Painter  of  Sea  Characters  since  Smollett  V— Edinburgh 
RE-PUBLICATION  OP 

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